203 
N7M5 


Metzner 


Brief  History  of  the 
North  American  Gymnastic  Union' 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


This  book  is  DU' 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

Microsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/briefhistoryofnoOOmetziala 


Copyright,  1911 

By  The  National  Executive  Committee  of  the 

North  American  Gymnastic  Union. 


GV 

Z03, 


*   I 
v  , 


FOREWORD 

XT  HAS  been  justly  said  that  the  North  American 
Gymnastic  Union,  although  it  has  been  in  exist- 
ence for  over  sixty  years  and  has  always  taken 
an  active  interest  in  public  affairs,  as  a  national  organi- 
zation has  kept  its  light  under  a  bushel.  The  reason 
for  this  may  chiefly  be  found  in  the  fact  that  the  official 
language  of  the  Turners  is  the  German  language,  the 
furtherance  of  which  has  always  been  one  of  their  aims. 

The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Gymnastic  Union 
is  of  the  opinion  that  the  history  of  the  Tumerbund  is  of 
sufficient  interest  to  warrant  its  publication  in  book  form. 
The  history  was  written  by  Henry  Metzner  of  North 
Branch,  New  Jersey,  who  has  been  identified  for  over 
half  a  century  with  the  Turner  organization.  The 
translation  from  the  German  was  made  by  Theo.  Stemp- 
fel,  Jr.,  of  Indianapolis.  The  article  on  the  influence  of 
the  Turners  on  Gymnastics  in  public  schools  was  con- 
tributed by  Wm.  A.  Stecher,  director  of  physical  training 
in  the  public  schools  of  Philadelphia. 

It  seems  appropriate  to  publish  the  book  at  this  time 
as  the  year  1911  marks  the  one-hundredth  anniversary 
of  the  opening  of  the  first  gymnastic  field  in  Berlin. 
This  may  well  be  regarded  as  the  real  beginning  of  the 
playground  movement  which  in  late  years  has  also  taken 
root  in  this  country. 

The  National  Executive  Committee  of  the 
North  American  Gymnastic  Union 

Indianapolis,  Indiana,  June,  1911. 


CONTENTS 

Page 

Friedrich  Ludwig  Jahn         -----  5 

Three  Pioneers  of  German-American  Gymnastics  1 2 

A  Brief  History  of  the  North  American  Gymnas- 
tic Union         ------  22 

The  Establishment  of  the  Turnerbund  -           -           -  22 

The  Gvil  War  Period 36 

The  Turnerbund  After  the  Civil  War  43 

The  Influence  of  the  North  American  Gymnas- 
tic Union  on  Gymnastics  in  the  Public 

Schools            ------  54 

History  of  the  Normal  College  of  the  North 

American  Gymnastic  Union  59 

Conclusion             --         -         -         -         -         -  61 


FRIEDRICH  LUDWIG  JAHN 

XN  THE  spring  of  the  year  1811,  on  the 
Hasenheide,  near  Berlin,  Friedrich  Ludwig 
Jahn  established  the  first  Tumplatz*  an 
open  field  for  the  practice  of  physical 
training.  This  incident  has  acquired  special  signifi- 
cance, for  it  marked  the  introduction  of  that  type  of 
physical  training,  based  upon  Jahn's  ideals,  which  has 
met  with  so  much  success  and  has  found  so  many  loyal 
followers  at  the  present  time.  It  is  indeed  appropriate 
that  the  centennial  anniversary  of  such  an  important 
event  in  the  history  of  physical  education  should  be 
elaborately  celebrated,  not  only  abroad,  but  also  in  the 
United  States. 

Jahn  was  prompted  to  undertake  the  practical  appli- 
cation of  his  theories  for  immediate  reasons.  Napoleon, 
the  political  oppressor,  had  reduced  Germany  to  a  state 
of  servile  humiliation.  By  encouraging  bodily  exercise 
and  fostering  patriotic  ideals  in  his  students,  Jahn  hoped 
to  supply  his  country  with  a  body  of  young  men  inspired 
with  patriotism  and  a  love  for  freedom  who,  at  the  call 
to  arms,  would  willingly  sacrifice  their  lives  to  liberate 
Germany  from  the  tyranny  of  a  foreign  state. 

This  was  perhaps  the  period  of  the  deepest  humilia- 
tion in  the  history  of  Germany.  After  the  disastrous 
battle  of  Jena,  October  14,  1806,  it  was  not  alone  the 
iron  rule  of  the  seemingly  unconquerable  French  dic- 
tator which  contributed  toward  the  national  gloom. 
Even   the    most    inspired    patriots    among    the    people, 


*A  term  coined  by  Jahn.  The  verb  lumen  (to  perform  gymnastic  exercises) 
is  of  foreign  origin,  although  Jahn  considered  it  a  genuine  German  word.  Turner^ 
gymnast;  Turntrbund— gymnastic  union ;  Tumfett—  gymnastic  festival;  Turnverein, 
or  Turngtmcindc^ gymnastic  society. 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 

wrote  with  confidence  of  the  time  when  all  his  hopes 
for  a  new,  free  and  unified  Germany  would  be  realized. 

In  1810  we  find  him  teaching  at  the  school  which  he 
himself  had  attended  in  his  youth,  the  Gymnasium  Zum 
Grauen  Kloster,  and  later,  in  the  same  year,  at  the  Plamarm 
Institute.  His  most  important  book,  "Deutsches  Volks- 
thum"  (German  Nationality),  appeared  at  this  time,  and 
his  plea  for  the  unity  of  Germany  was  universally  com- 
mented upon  and  heartily  applauded.  Furthermore,  this 
year  marks  the  beginning  of  his  first  practical  attempts 
to  introduce  gymnastic  exercises  among  his  students, 
to  infuse  them  with  a  patriotic  love  for  freedom,  to 
make  them  capable  of  bearing  arms  for  their  oppressed 
country,  and  to  prepare  them  for  the  imminent  war  of 
liberation. 

As  noted  above,  the  first  public  Turnplatz  was  opened 
by  Jahn  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1811.  The  boys  and 
young  men  of  Berlin,  five  hundred  strong,  responded  to 
his  call  and  followed  him  to  the  Hasenheide,  where  they 
indulged  in  gymnastic  exercises  under  his  direction.  In 
spite  of  the  freedom  which  he  accorded  to  his  scholars, 
Jahn  was  a  stern  disciplinarian  in  many  respects,  and 
compelled  them  to  maintain  good  order  and  to  observe 
good  manners. 

On  November  14th  of  that  year,  Jahn,  Friesen  and 
other  men  of  like  sympathies  founded  the  Deutschen 
Bund,  an  organization  with  the  purpose  of  defying  the 
domination  of  their  country  by  an  alien  power.  The 
personnel  of  its  membership  was  to  be  drawn  from  the 
German  universities.  This  Bund  inspired  the  founding 
of  the  Deutsche  Burschenhaft,  an  association  of  students 


(8) 


North  yJmerican  Gymnastic  Union 


banded  together  for  patriotic  motives,  which  played  such 
a  prominent  part  in  the  political  crisis  of  later  years. 

Jahn  and  his  Turners  were  among  the  first  to  respond 
to  the  call  to  arms  issued  by  King  William  III  of  Prussia, 
on  March  17,  1813,  and  in  the  campaign  which  followed 
they  demonstrated  their  fitness  as  soldiers  as  members 
of  the  Landwehr,  a  voluntary  military  organization 
which  they  helped  to  establish.  Owing  to  sickness,  Jahn 
was  forced  to  withdraw  from  this  body  before  the  close 
of  the  campaign,  but  as  a  reward  for  his  services  the 
government  bestowed  upon  him  an  honorary  salary  of 
500  Taler,  which  was  later  increased  to  800  Taler. 

In  August  of  the  year  1814  he  was  married  to  Helene 
Kollhof.  Although  he  did  not  take  part  in  the  war 
against  France  in  1815,  he  was  called  to  Paris  upon  the 
recapture  of  that  city  by  the  allied  forces.  In  the  follow- 
ing year  his  second  great  book,  "  Deutsche  Turnkunst " 
(German  Gymnastics),  appeared  in  print.  In  the  winter 
following  the  publication  of  this  book  Jahn  mounted  the 
public  platform,  where  he  gave  courageous  expression 
to  the  dissatisfaction  that  was  felt  on  all  sides  because 
the  government  did  not  redeem  the  promise  of  a  consti- 
tution given  to  the  people  previous  to  the  resumption  of 
the  successful  campaign  against  Napoleon. 

His  uncompromising  attitude  on  this  point,  although 
it  won  him  many  admirers  among  the  people,  did  not 
gain  him  the  good  will  of  the  government.  This,  together 
with  the  demonstrations  of  the  Burschenschaftcn,  which 
were  attributed  to  his  influence,  ultimately  led  to  the 
closing  of  his  Tumplatz,  a  procedure  to  which  similar 
organizations  were  subjected  all  over  Germany. 

In  1819  the  dramatist  and  literary  critic,  Kotzebue,  met 


(9) 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 


his  death  at  the  hand  of  Karl  Sand,  a  fanatic  student 
and  member  of  the  Jena  Burschenschaft  As  Kotzebue 
was  in  the  employ  of  the  Russian  Czar,  and  bitterly 
opposed  to  the  student  organizations,  his  death  was 
regarded  as  the  result  of  an  organized  conspiracy  among 
these  societies.  Therefore  Jahn  and  his  Turners  were 
suspected  of  being  accomplices  in  the  assassination. 
Among  the  prohibitory  regulations  issued  by  the  govern- 
ment as  the  result  of  this  assassination  was  one  which 
limited  Turning  in  an  organized  manner  to  a  prohibitive 
degree. 

In  July  of  the  year  1819  Jahn  was  placed  under 
arrest  on  the  charge  of  high  treason,  and  the  trial  was 
delayed  for  five  years  until  January  1  3,  1 824,  when  he 
was  sentenced  to  two  years'  confinement  in  a  fortress 
because  of  the  disrespectful  and  derogatory  remarks 
which  he  supposedly  had  made  in  alluding  to  the 
administration  of  the  state.  Jahn  immediately  drew  up 
his  self-defense  in  pamphlet  form,  upon  which  his  sen- 
tence was  revoked,  and  he  was  given  his  liberty.  In 
the  years  which  followed,  until  1840,  when  Friedrich 
Wilhelm  IV  mounted  the  Prussian  throne,  Jahn  was 
under  the  continuous  suspicion  of  political  demagogy, 
and  though  he  lead  a  quiet,  retired  life,  devoting  himself 
to  literary  pursuits  in  his  field,  he  was  forced  to  seek  out 
many  new  residences  because  of  the  pitiless  political 
espionage  and  persecution  to  which  he  was  subjected. 

In  August  of  the  year  1 838  his  house  was  destroyed 
by  fire  and  his  rich  library  as  well  as  his  numerous  man- 
uscripts were  consumed  by  the  flames.  The  Turners  of 
Germany  instituted  a  popular  subscription  and  this 
enabled  him  to  erect  a  new  home  upon  his  own  prop- 


(10) 


North  Jlmeriam  Gymnastic  Union 


erty.  With  the  inauguration  of  the  new  king,  Jahn  was 
freed  entirely  of  the  strict  surveillance  on  the  part  of  the 
police,  and  subsequendy  the  Iron  Cross  was  bestowed  up- 
on him,  a  delayed  appreciation  of  his  valorous  conduct 
in  battle.  The  interdict  on  Turning  was  removed  in 
1 842,  and  immediately  numerous  Turning  societies  were 
organized  in  various  parts  of  Germany  whose  members 
found  a  mutual  bond  in  their  patriotic  sentiments. 

When  the  dissatisfaction  caused  by  the  misrule,  and 
the  utter  indifference  of  the  government  to  the  popular 
demand  for  a  constitution,  which  had  been  often  prom- 
ised, infused  the  people  with  the  spirit  of  the  French  Rev- 
olution and  culminated  in  the  revolutionary  outbreaks  of 
the  year  1 848,  Jahn  was  again  thrust  into  public  life  as 
an  elected  representative  to  the  National  German  Parlia- 
ment at  Frankfort  on  the  Main.  But  Jahn,  the  leader  of 
the  year  1811,  was  not  emancipated  to  the  level  of  this 
new  aggressive  spirit  and  failed  to  redeem  the  faith  that 
was  placed  in  him  by  his  champions.  The  ambitions 
of  the  revolutionists  were  beyond  his  vision,  and  his 
period  of  enlightened  leadership  had  become  a  record 
of  the  past.  And  so,  at  the  second  Turnfestival  in 
Hanau,  in  July  of  1 848,  he  found  himself  estranged  from 
his  own  Turners  who  did  not  sympathize  with  his  atti- 
tude in  the  Parliament.  And  Jahn,  embittered  and  mis- 
understood, withdrew  himself  to  Freiburg,  where  he 
died  October  15,  1852. 

The  Jahn  of  the  year  '48  has  been  forgotten;  his 
memory  has  been  dimmed  in  the  light  of  Tumvater 
Jahn,  the  glowing  patriot  who  revived  the  art  of  German 
gymnastics,  and  was  influential  as  was  no  other  single 
man  in  enkindling  the  youth  of  his  country  for  the  war 


(11) 


Ji    Brief    History    of   the 


of  liberation.  As  such,  and  as  the  author  of  "Deutsches 
Volkstum,"  "Deutsche  Turnkunst,"  and  various  other 
kindling  articles  and  pamphlets  aiming  at  the  culti- 
vation of  a  healthy  body  and  inaugurating  the  principle 
of  German  unity,  he  is  honored  today. 

His  greatest  contribution  to  society  no  doubt,  is  his 
service  in  the  field  of  physical  training,  which  has  found 
so  many  exponents  and  followers  and  has  spread  its 
influence  over  alien  lands.  The  centennial  anniversary 
of  the  first  Turnplatz  seeks  to  give  due  tribute  to  the 
memory  of  Friedrich  Ludwig  Jahn  as  pioneer  in  the 
field  of  physical  training  and  to  accord  him  recognition 
for  his  gift  to  humanity. 


THREE  PIONEERS  OF  GERMAN-AMERICAN 
GYMNASTICS 

The  centennial  celebration  of  the  opening  of  the  first 
Turnplatz  has  a  vital  significance  for  this  country.  It  is  no 
exaggeration  to  assert  that  the  greater  portion  of  all  physi- 
cal training  systems  practiced  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
present  day,  at  the  universities  and  colleges,  in  the  clubs 
and  the  schools  devoted  solely  to  that  end  are  based  on 
the  theories  of  German  gymnastics.  That  this  is  so 
is  due  to  the  pioneer  work  of  Friedrich  Ludwig  Jahn 
and  of  his  disciples,  Carl  Beck,  Carl  Follen  and  Francis 
Lieber,  who  fled  to  this  country  during  the  political  tur- 
moil in  Germany  which  followed  the  overthrow  of  the 
foreign  tyrant,  Napoleon. 

Upon  rehearsing  a  history  of  German-American 
gymnastics,  no  matter  how  brief  and  concise,  three 
eminent   German    scholars  and  disciples  of  Jahn,  Carl 


(12) 


North  Jlmerican  Gymnastic  Union 


Beck,  Carl  Follen  and  Francis  Lieber,  will  always  remain 
pre-eminent  and  worthy  of  special  mention.  In  order  to 
evade  the  persistent  espionage  and  the  political  persecu- 
tion to  which  they  were  exposed  as  prominent  members 
of  the  Burschenschaft,  these  men  fled  the  confines  of  their 
fatherland  and  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  land  of  liberty, 
where  they  were  the  first  to  introduce  Jahn's  system  of 
physical  training,  and  to  incorporate  it  in  the  liberal 
education  of  the  colleges  and  universities. 

It  was  not  their  immediate  or  even  their  ultimate 
ambition  to  establish  gymnastic  societies  on  American 
soil,  such  as  existed  in  Germany  at  that  time,  but  they 
were  pioneers  in  the  sense  that  they  established  gym- 
nasiums, based  on  German  models,  equipped  with 
German  apparatus,  and  thus  they  cleared  the  way  for 
the  attempt  to  train  the  body  as  well  as  the  mind  in  the 
American  institutions  of  learning.  Their  success  was 
not  lasting,  for  when  they  were  no  longer  personally 
identified  with  this  movement,  the  practice  of  gymnas- 
tics was  gradually  discontinued  or  directed  into  other 
channels.  But  this  does  not  lessen  the  service  of  Beck, 
Folleri  and  Lieber,  for  they  remain  the  pioneers  of 
German-American  gymnastics.  - — 

Carl  Beck  was  born  August  1 9,  1  798,  in  Heidelberg, 
Germany.  When  in  1810  the  family  moved  to  Berlin, 
where  Beck's  step-father  occupied  the  chair  of  theology, 
young  Beck,  who  attended  the  gymnasium,  distinguished 
himself  as  an  unusually  active  Turner  on  the  Hasenheide 
and  gained  the  immediate  friendship  of  Jahn.  He  was 
too  young  to  take  service  in  the  campaigns  against 
Napoleon,  but  later  in  life,  as  a  student  and  member  of 


(13) 


Jl    Brief   History    of  the 


the  Burschenschqfi,  he  was  active  in  the  struggle  for  per- 
sonal freedom  and  national  independence. 

Beck  completed  his  studies  at  the  University  of 
Heidelberg  in  1822;  was  ordained  as  Lutheran  minister 
and  received  the  degree  of  doctor  of  philosophy  from 
the  University  of  Tuebingen.  His  step- father,  De  Wette, 
had  sometime  previously  been  banished  to  Switzerland, 
because  he  had  written  a  letter  to  the  mother  of  Sand, 
the  assassin  of  Kotzebue,  and  Beck  moved  to  that  country 
where  he  became  professor  of  literature  and  Latin  at  the 
Paedagogium  in  Basel.  With  Carl  Follen  he  had  par- 
ticipated actively  as  a  Turner  and  member  of  the  Burschen- 
schaft  in  the  movement  which  aimed  at  the  liberation  of 
Germany  and  the  emancipation  of  its  people  from  a 
government  under  the  tyrannical  guidance  of  the  omnip- 
otent Metternich,  the  Austrian  minister. 

Carl  Follen,  born  in  Giessen,  September  3,  1 795 , 
was  the  second  oldest  of  three  brothers.  The  three 
enlisted  in  the  army,  and  at  the  close  of  the  campaign 
against  the  French  Emperor,  together  with  a  number  of 
like-minded  friends,  they  were  charged  with  demagogy 
and  became  the  victims  of  political  persecution.  Carl 
Follen  wrote  a  defense  of  the  Burschenschaft,  published 
a  number  of  highly  poetic  songs  on  Turning  and  Lib- 
erty, and  fearlessly  maintained  the  cause  of  the  Hessian 
people  against  their  government.  He  managed  to  escape 
arrest  by  his  flight  to  Paris  and  from  there  to  Basel,  where 
he  accepted  a  position  as  teacher. 

When  the  Prussian  government  could  not  prevail 
upon  Switzerland  to  deliver  Beck  and  Follen  into  its 
hands,  and  threatened  war  in  order  to  attain  this  object, 
the  two  political  refugees  were  finally  forced  to  look  for 


(14) 


North  American  Gymnastic  Union 


another  place  of  safety.  America  was  the  promised 
land,  and  after  obtaining  letters  of  recommendation 
from  General  Lafayette  in  Paris,  they  took  passage  for 
their  new  home,  and  arrived  in  New  York  on  Christmas 
day,  1824. 

The  personal  appearance  of  Beck  inspired  confidence 
and  this,  together  with  the  letters  of  recommendation, 
soon  enabled  him  to  obtain  a  position  that  was  well 
suited  to  his  tastes  and  talents.  With  J.  G.  Cogswell,  an 
eminent  scholar,  and  George  Bancroft,  the  famous  his- 
torian, he  established  a  boy's  school  at  the  summit  of 
Round  Hill,  in  Northampton,  Massachusetts.  During 
his  five  years  of  activity  at  this  institution,  he  gained  rec- 
ognition as  a  teacher,  and  established  the  first  gymnasium 
in  America  based  on  Jahn's  models.  During  this  period 
he  also  translated  into  English  Jahn's  book,  "Deutsche 
Turnkun8t,n  and  published  it  in  Northampton. 

Carl  Follen  was  active  as  a  teacher  in  the  Round  Hill 
school  until  1 826,  when  he  was  called  to  Harvard  as 
professor  of  church  history,  and  later  of  German  language 
and  literature.  At  this  university,  Follen  introduced 
German  gymnastics,  and  established  the  second  gym- 
nasium in  this  country,  based  on  the  principles  of  Jahn. 

The  influence  of  the  Round  Hill  school  spread  still 
further,  and  in  September  of  the  year  1826,  Yale  granted 
the  sum  of  $300  for  the  endowment  of  a  gymnastic  field 
and  for  the  purchase  of  gymnastic  apparatus  to  be  placed 
on  the  college  campus.  At  the  same  time,  the  brothers 
Devight  opened  the  "New  Haven  Gymnasium,"  in 
which  gymnastic  exercises  were  given  a  prominent 
part.    In  1 828  a  number  of  Amherst  students  established 


(15) 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 


a  Turnplatz  which  was  fairly  well  equipped  with  gymnastic 
apparatus  of  German  invention.  All  these  gymnasiums 
can  be  attributed  to  the  example  of  Beck  and  Follen. 

Owing  to  the  efforts  of  Dr.  John  Collins  Warren,  a 
follower  and  promoter  of  the  system  of  physical  training 
introduced  by  Beck  and  Follen,  the  Tremont  gymnasium 
was  established.  Dr.  Warren,  who  had  become  ac- 
quainted with  Jahn's  activity  in  Germany,  through  his 
friendly  intercourse  with  these  two  disciples,  had  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  obtaining  the  services  of  Jahn  himself 
to  conduct  this  gymnasium,  but  lack  of  funds  prevented 
him  from  carrying  this  idea  beyond  its  mere  conception. 
Dr.  Francis  Lieber,  the  third  of  the  German  pioneers  in 
the  field  of  physical  training,  was  obtained  to  fill  this 
vacancy. 

In  spite  of  the  many  successes  with  which  Beck,  Follen 
and  Lieber  met  in  the  department  of  gymnastics  soon 
after  they  established  themselves  on  American  soil,  their 
influence  was  not  vital  enough  to  be  enduring.  For 
Turning,  in  the  sense  that  Jahn  conceived  it,  there  existed 
neither  the  right  comprehension  nor  the  favorable  condi- 
tions under  which  it  had  flourished  in  Germany.  "The 
introduction  of  gymnastic  exercises  throughout  the 
country,"  writes  Dr.  Warren,  "promised  for  a  time  to  be 
the  beginning  of  a  new  epoch  of  education.  As  long  as 
they  charmed  by  their  novelty  these  exercises  were  pur- 
sued with  zest,  but  since  their  value  and  importance  was 
not  generally  understood,  they  were  gradually  neglected, 
and  finally  forgotten.  However,  the  results  which  these 
institutions  accomplished  excelled,  in  my  opinion,  the 
most  extravagant  expectations." 

After  some  years  Beck,  Follen  and  Lieber  found  them- 


(16) 


North  Jlmerican  Gymnastic  Union 


selves  forced  to  drop  the  teaching  of  gymnastics.  Their 
eminent  erudition  in  other  branches  of  knowledge 
directed  their  activities  into  different  channels,  where 
they  gained  influence,  distinction  and  a  reputation  far 
beyond  the  confines  of  their  second  home- 
In  1 82  7  Dr.  Beck  married  Miss  Louise  A.  Henshaw. 
In  1830  he  erected  his  own  school  in  Phillipstown  on 
the  Hudson,  and  from  1832  until  1850  he  was  active  at 
the  University  of  Harvard.  Upon  resigning  his  professor- 
ship at  Harvard  he  devoted  himself  eagerly  to  his  duties 
as  a  citizen  and  to  his  private  studies.  He  was  elected 
twice  to  the  state  legislature,  and  was  a  member  of  sev- 
eral literary  societies.  He  visited  Germany  three  times, 
partly  in  order  to  recuperate  and  partly  for  literary 
research.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war  he  enlisted 
as  a  private  in  a  company  of  Cambridge  volunteers,  but 
was  finally  rejected  on  account  of  his  advanced  age 
which,  however,  did  not  prevent  him  from  fitting  out 
hundreds  of  soldiers  with  his  own  means  and  sending 
them  into  the  field  of  battle.  He  died  March  19,  1866. 
Carl  Follen  became  a  member  of  the  Harvard  faculty 
in  1831,  where  he  held  the  chair  of  German  language 
and  literature  for  five  years.  At  the  same  time  he  gave 
lectures  in  New  York  and  Boston  on  the  German  poets, 
which  were  attended  with  great  success.  It  was  through 
his  influence  that  the  German  language  and  literature  took 
such  deep  root  in  the  intellectual  circles  of  New  England 
at  that  time.  In  1833  he  became  a  member  of  the  anti- 
slavery  society,  and  thus  he  forfeited  his  re-appointment 
to  Harvard  university. 

His  "Address  to  the  American  People,"  which  he  had 
written  at  the  request  of  the  anti-slavery  society,  appeared 


(  17) 


Jl    Brief    History    of   the 


in  1 836,  and  in  this  he  laid  down  the  principles  upon 
which  this  society  maintained  its  attitude  toward  the 
question  of  the  day.  The  pamphlet  made  a  deep 
impression,  but  called  forth  vehement  opposition  on  the 
part  of  the  pro-slavery  press,  which  reproached  him  for 
hurling  firebrands  into  the  social  and  political  life  of 
his  new  fatherland.  Follen  replied  energetically,  and 
asserted  his  right  to  maintain  those  very  principles  in 
his  new  home  which  he  had  defended  in  his  native  land 
and  which  had  resulted  in  his  flight  from  political  perse- 
cution. 

Follen  was  ordained  as  Unitarian  minister  and  was 
the  head  of  a  congregation  in  New  York  in  this  capacity 
until  1838,  when  he  accepted  a  call  to  East  Lexington. 
A  great  portion  of  his  time  was  devoted  to  his  literary 
and  political  lectures  and  to  other  literary  pursuits.  The 
translation  of  his  revolutionary  songs  written  during  the 
storm  and  stress  period  of  Germany  is  worthy  of  special 
notice. 

In  the  winter  of  the  year  1 840,  he  accepted  an  invita- 
tion to  lectuVe  on  German  literature  before  the  New  York 
Mercantile  Library.  He  was  forced  to  discontinue  these 
lectures  in  order  to  attend  the  dedication  of  the  newly 
built  church  at  Lexington.  On  February  13,  1840,  he 
embarked  on  the  steamboat  Lexington,  which  was  to 
convey  him  home.  That  night  the  ship  caught  fire,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  two  sailors,  everyone  on  board 
was  either  drowned  or  burned  to  death. 

The  tragic  death  of  Follen  called  forth  general  sym- 
pathy, and  even  his  bitterest  opponents  on  the  question 
of  slavery  shared  the  general  sorrow  which  followed  his 
unfortunate  death. 


(  18) 


North  American  Gymnastic  Union 


Francis  Lieber,  the  third  of  the  Turner  pioneers,  was 
born  in  Berlin,  March  1 8,  1 800.  He  too  felt  the  tyranny 
of  alien  domination  and  caught  the  enthusiasm  which 
inspired  the  people  to  revolt.  At  a  very  impressionable 
period  of  his  life  he  became  one  of  the  devoted  fol- 
lowers of  Jahn.  When  the  call  to  arms  resounded 
throughout  the  land  in  March  of  the  year  1815,  he  and 
his  brother  were  among  the  first  of  the  many  young  men 
who  enlisted  to  fight  against  Napoleon  upon  his  return 
from  Elba.  At  the  victorious  close  of  this  memorable 
campaign,  during  which  he  was  severely  wounded 
several  times,  he  eagerly  resumed  his  studies. 

His  intimacy  with  Jahn  and  his  love  for  freedom 
resulted  in  political  persecution,  and  finally  in  arrest. 
Since  attendance  at  a  Prussian  university  was  denied 
him,  he  completed  his  studies  at  Jena.  As  it  was  impossi- 
ble for  a  man  of  his  convictions  to  entertain  any  hope 
of  ever  being  employed  in  the  service  of  the  state,  he 
allied  himself  with  a  number  of  young  men  in  Dresden 
who  had  organized  a  society  in  order  to  take  part  in  the 
Grecian  struggle  for  independence  against  the  Turks. 

Bitter  disappointment  followed  upon  his  previous 
enthusiasm,  for  during  his  three  months  stay  in  Greece 
he  came  to  respect  the  Turks  more  than  the  Grecians, 
whom  he  had  come  to  liberate,  and  with  a  number  of 
other  disillusioned  young  men  left  Greece.  Without 
means  and  without  passports  he  arrived  in  Rome,  where 
he  applied  for  help  at  the  Prussian  ministry,  which  at 
that  time  was  headed  by  the  famous  historian,  Niebuhr, 
who  took  an  immediate  interest  in  young  Lieber  and 
entrusted  him  with  the  education  of  his  youngest  son. 

Niebuhr  interceded  with  King  Friedrich  Wilhelm  III 


(  19) 


/ 


Jl    Brief    History    of   the 


in  behalf  of  the  young  man.  Under  pledge  of  im- 
munity from  the  Prussian  monarch,  Lieber  returned  to 
Berlin  after  he  had  spent  a  year  in  Rome.  Even  the 
promises  of  kings  sometimes  prove  elusive  pledges  to 
build  upon,  for  immediately  upon  his  arrival  in  Berlin, 
Lieber  was  arrested  and  taken  to  the  fortress  Koepe- 
nick.  Although  Niebuhr  was  successful  in  gaining  him 
his  freedom,  Lieber  did  not  feel  safe  in  Germany  and 
sailed  for  London,  and  eventually  from  there  for  America, 
where  he  arrived  in  the  year  1 82  7. 

He  first  located  at  Tremont,  where  he  interested  him- 
self in  gymnastics.  Later  he  founded  a  swimming  school 
in  Boston,  a  new  departure  in  the  educational  field,  and 
John  Quincy  Adams,  President  of  the  United  States,  paid 
a  personal  visit  to  this  novel  establishment.  Lieber's 
thorough  and  general  knowledge  gained  for  him  the 
esteem  and  respect  of  all  educational  and  political  cir- 
cles, as  well  as  the  friendship  of  many  eminent  scholars, 
authors  and  statesmen.  During  the  civil  war  he  spent 
a  large  portion  of  his  time  in  Washington,  where  he 
became  an  intimate  advisor  of  the  administration  on 
questions  of  military  and  international  law. 

He  acquired  a  reputation  as  an  authority  on  the 
problems  of  the  day  and  on  all  questions  touching  upon 
political  science.  His  first  great  work  appeared  in  1837, 
under  the  title  "Manual  of  Political  Ethics."  It  was  fol- 
lowed by  "Legal  and  Political  Hermaneutics"  ( 1 839),  and 
"Civil  Liberty  and  Self-Government"  (1853).  Of  these 
three,  which  are  considered  his  greatest  works,  the  last- 
named  has  become  the  most  popular.  His  last  literary 
work,  "The  Origin  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,"  remained  unfinished  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
October  2,  1872. 


(20) 


North  Jlmerican  Gymnastic  Union 


The  motto  above  the  door  of  the  study  of  Francis 
Lieber  read: 

"PatriaCara. 
Carior  Libertas, 
Veritas  Carissima." 

It  was  also  the  motto  of  his  life,  for  it  was  the  motive 
in  all  of  his  activities.  No  matter  how  dear  his  native 
land,  liberty  was  more  precious  to  Francis  Lieber,  and 
truth  he  prized  as  the  highest  ideal  of  all. 

Those  who  are  in  any  way  identified  with  or  interested 
in  German-American  gymnastics  of  the  present  day,  have 
good  reason  to  be  proud  of  its  three  pioneers,  Beck, 
Follen  and  Lieber.  In  their  love  for  the  adopted  father- 
land they  dedicated  to  it  the  full  sum  of  their  rich 
knowledge,  and  spared  no  energy  in  the  cause  of 
patriotism. 


(21) 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 


A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORTH 
AMERICAN  GYMNASTIC  UNION 

German-American  gymnastics,  as  embodied  in  the 
North  American  Gymnastic  Union,  date  back  to  the  mid- 
dle of  the  last  century,  the  history  of  the  Union  embracing 
over  sixty  years  of  tireless  activity.  Since  the  days  of  its 
beginning,  when  the  ambitious  and  inspired  young  men, 
imbued  with  the  spirit  of  progress  and  freedom,  trans- 
planted the  ideals  of  Jahn  to  American  soil,  this  organiza- 
tion has  cleared  its  own  path  and,  in  spite  of  numerous 
internal  and  external  conflicts,  has  never  lost  sight  of 
the  ultimate  goal. 

The  impetuosity  of  the  early  days  has  made  way  for 
the  thoughtful  deliberation  of  later  years,  to  which  the 
Turnerbund  owes  its  flourishing  Normal  College,  its  many 
successful  turning  schools,  its  influence  upon  the  public 
school  system  throughout  the  land,  as  well  as  the  spirit 
of  unity  and  brotherhood,  which  inspires  the  individual 
members. 

THE  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  THE  TURNERBUND 

The  first  gymnastic  societies  in  the  United  States 
were  organized  toward  the  close  of  the  year  1 848.  Until 
the  middle  of  the  fifties  all  of  these  societies  owed  their 
organization  and  their  flourishing  state  to  the  many  Ger- 
man immigrants,  who  came   to  this  country  when  the 


(22) 


North  American  Gymnastic  Union 


revolutionary  movement  in  Germany  in  1 848- 1 849  was 
suppressed.  For  all  those  who  had  been  friendly  to  the 
cause  of  the  people  were  forced  to  flee  from  their  native 
land  in  order  to  escape  persecution  and  the  pressure  of 
the  reaction.  Among  the  thousands  of  political  refugees 
that  fled  to  American  soil,  there  were  many  who  had 
been  members  of  a  Turnverein,  who  prized  the  cause  of 
turning,  and  who  were  eager  to  establish  it  in  their  new 
home. 

Although  there  was  no  legislative  barrier  to  the 
founding  of  these  organizations,  the  influence  of  the 
Know-Nothing  party,  narrow  minded,  puritanical  and 
opposed  to  everything  foreign,  was  used  against  these 
societies.  These  men  who  had  sacrificed  all  for  their 
ideals,  and  had  come  to  this  country  as  political  refugees, 
were  not  received  with  open  arms,  but  were  regarded  by 
many  with  mistrust  and  suspicion.  It  was  not  easy  for 
them  to  overcome  these  barriers  and  to  establish  gym- 
nastic societies. 

The  oldest  Turnverein  in  the  United  States  which 
flourishes  to  the  present  day,  is  the  Cincinnati  Tumgemeinde, 
founded  November  21,1 848,  at  the  instigation  of  Fried- 
rich  Hecker.  The  Nero  York,  Tumgemeinde  was  also 
organized  in  1 848.  The  Philadelphia  Tumgemeinde,  which 
today  is  considered  one  of  the  strongest  societies  in  the 
Bund,  was  founded  May  15,  1849.  Internal  dissensions 
arose,  and  the  dissatisfied  members  established  the 
Sociale  Tumgemeinde  in  November  of  that  year.  A  third 
society,  the  Socialer  Turnverein,  was  organized  at  almost 
the  same  time.  Several  months  after  the  gymnastic 
festival  of  the  Bund,  in  1854,  these  three  societies  com- 
bined   to   organize   the  SociaUemokralische   Tumgemeinde. 


(23) 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 


A  society  with  a  similar  name  was  founded  in  Baltimore 
in  1 849.  Very  litde  is  known  of  the  Socialisiischer  Turn- 
verein  of  Brooklyn,  established  in  1850  and  dissolved 
during  the  civil  war.  On  June  6,  1850,  the  Socialisiischer 
Turnverein  of  New  York  was  founded. 

These  six  societies  had  barely  gained  a  foothold 
when  they  established  a  Tumerbund.  The  Socialistischer 
Turnverein  of  New  York  gave  the  first  impetus  to  this 
end  in  its  resolution  of  July  15,  1850,  urging  a  closer 
union  of  all  the  societies  in  order  to  insure  their  own 
existence,  to  protect  the  common  interests  and  to  give  a 
basis  for  mutual  cooperation.  A  plan  of  organization 
presented  by  the  representatives  of  the  New  York  and 
Brooklyn  societies  was  accepted,  and  it  was  further 
resolved  to  invite  representatives  of  all  the  societies  to 
a  convention  {Tagsatzung),  which  was  finally  held  in  the 
home  of  the  Philadelphia  Tumgemeinde  on  the  4th  and  5th 
of  October,  1850.  Many  differences  of  opinion  came 
to  light  at  this  first  meeting,  particularly  on  political 
questions,  for  one  party  wished  to  make  the  promotion 
of  Socialism*  one  of  the  main  functions  of  the  organi- 
zation. The  other  faction  advocated  that  the  Turnverein 
should  confine  itself  solely  to  physical  training.  On  one 
point,  however,  all  were  agreed,  that  the  Turnerhand 
should  manifest  a  tendency  toward  freethought  in  the 
broadest  sense. 

The  first  year  of  the  gymnastic  union  did  not  pass 
as  smoothly  as  had  been  hoped.  The  societies  had 
not  come  to  realize  their  duties  toward  the  central  organi- 
zation and  barely  heeded  the  proclamation  of  the  pro- 
visional central  executive  committee.     The  Philadelphia 

•For  a  definition  of  Socialism,  as  understood  by  the  Turners  of  that  time,  see 
page  46. 


(24) 


North  American  Gymnastic  Union 


Turngemeinde  invited  all  the  societies  to  take  part  in  a 
general  gymnastic  festival  to  be  held  in  that  city  Sep- 
tember 29  and  30,  1851,  and  the  executive  committee 
took  advantage  of  this  opportunity  to  call  together  a 
second  convention. 

The  Turnfest  and  the  convention  proved  to  be  com- 
plete successes,  according  to  the  first  number  of  the 
Turnzeitung,  the  official  organ  of  the  Bund.  At  the 
convention  the  following  societies  were  represented : 
New  York,  Boston,  Cincinnati,  Brooklyn,  Utiea,  Philadel- 
phia and  Newark.  The  Indianapolis  Turngemeinde,  as  well 
as  the  Rochester  Turnoerein,  had  signified  their  intention 
of  joining  the  Turnerbund.  After  a  heated  debate  it  was 
finally  decided  to  name  the  organization  Socialistischer 
Turnerbund.  The  most  important  resolution  was  un- 
doubtedly that  which  called  for  the  establishment  of  a 
newspaper  which  was  to  be  the  official  organ  of  the 
union,  and  was  to  be  kept  free  of  all  personal  polemics 
and  of  any  tendency  toward  partisanship.  The  societies 
were  reminded  of  their  duty  to  maintain  the  practice  of 
military  drill. 

When  the  Turnerbund  had  finally  been  assured  of  a 
permanent  organization,  the  practice  of  the  German 
system  of  physical  training  was  gradually  taken  up  by 
all  the  large  cities  in  the  land.  Even  in  the  South, 
although  the  Germans  were  not  so  numerous  as  they 
were  farther  north  in  the  East  and  in  the  West,  and 
although  the  Turnerbund  was  not  in  accord  with  the 
South  on  the  question  of  slavery,  many  gymnastic  soci- 
eties were  organized.  These  societies  had  become  the 
gathering  places  for  the  Germans.  Vehement  opposi- 
tion toward  these  so-called  "aliens"  was  gradually  evinced 


(25) 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 


by  the  fanatic  party  press,  and  from  the  pulpit  they  were 
scored  for  their  un-Christian  conduct  and  attitude.  As 
a  result  of  this  many-sided  opposition,  the  Turnoereine 
gathered  strength  and  gradually  gained  influence  and 
the  respect  of  fair-minded  citizens. 

It  is  characteristic  of  those  days  that  the  revolutionary 
tendency  which  had  driven  these  men  from  their  father- 
land was  still  maintained.  Political  refugees  received 
their  support;  an  agitation  was  on  foot  to  encourage  their 
erstwhile  brothers  to  renewed  revolutionary  demonstra- 
tions; the  resolution  by  which  the  societies  were  urged 
to  continue  the  practice  of  arms  was  prompted  by  a 
desire  to  return  to  Germany  at  the  first  sign  of  an 
outbreak,  and  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  uprising  of 
the  people. 

The  Turnzeitung  of  November  15,  1851,  showed  that 
22  societies  had  been  organized  in  the  United  States,  of 
which  1 1  had  joined  the  Turnerbund,  and  that  the  total 
membership  of  these  Turnoereine  amounted  to  1,672. 
Much  space  in  this  paper  was  devoted  to  the  practice  of 
physical  training  and  to  illustrated  articles  on  this  subject. 
The  larger  societies  established  turning  schools,  and  the 
first  attempts  were  made  to  initiate  boys  and  girls  in  this 
new  practice. 

Physical  training  bore  the  stamp  of  Jahn's  time. 
There  were  no  professional  teachers  of  physical  training, 
and  classes  were  conducted  by  those  best  qualified.  The 
gymnastic  apparatus  was  of  primitive  and  awkward  con- 
struction in  comparison  with  that  of  to-day. 

In  the  year  1852  two  gymnastic  festivals  were  held, 
one  in  Baltimore  and  one  in  Cincinnati.  Thirty  societies 
were  represented  at  the  convention  held  in  conjunction 


(26) 


North  American  Gymnastic  Union 


with  the  Turnfest  in  Cincinnati.  A  resolution  was  passed 
at  this  meeting  by  which  each  gymnastic  society  was 
forced  to  subscribe  for  as  many  copies  of  the  Turnzeitung 
as  it  had  members.  This  resolution  later  became  the 
bone  of  bitter  contention. 

The  book  on  gymnastics  which  was  published  in 
1853  under  the  title  "  Das  Turnen,"  did  not  meet  with 
the  popular  success  which  had  been  expected  for  it.  It 
had  been  written  by  Eduard  Mueller  with  the  hope  that 
it  would  help  the  smaller  gymnastic  societies  in  the 
practice  of  physical  training,  but  it  contained  so  many 
technicalities  of  language  that  it  proved  of  no  value  to 
those  who  were  not  acquainted  with  the  terms  applied 
to  the  many  physical  exercises. 

Gymnastic  festivals  were  held  in  Louisville  and 
in  New  York  in  the  year  1853,  and  in  September  of  the 
same  year  a  convention  was  called  at  Cleveland.  At 
this  time  the  Turnerbund  was  divided  into  five  districts, 
according  to  locality.  An  executive  committee  was 
placed  at  the  head  of  each  district,  and  these  in  turn 
made  their  reports  to  the  central  organization. 

At  the  convention  in  Cleveland  it  had  been  resolved 
to  urge  the  establishment  of  non-sectarian  German 
schools.  Many  societies  sought  to  realize  this  ambition 
and  either  organized  Schuhereine  (school  societies)  or  lent 
their  financial  support  to  those  which  were  already  in 
existence.  Many  a  German-American  school  of  that 
time  owed  its  success  to  the  energy  and  efforts  of  the 
Turnvereine,  which  thus  honored  German  traditions. 

The  otherwise  extremely  successful  Turnfest  in  Phila- 
delphia, 1854,  at  which  calisthenics  and  apparatus 
turning  by  divisions  were  first  introduced,  was  attended 


(27) 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 


with  unpleasant  disturbances.  The  town  rowdies  and 
loafers  gathered  at  the  outskirts  of  the  festival  grounds 
on  Lemon  Hill,  and  sought  in  various  ways  to  disturb 
the  gymnasts.  The  jeering  and  hooting  grew  to  such 
volume  that  the  Turners  saw  themselves  forced  to  reply 
with  physical  violence,  whereupon  a  hand  to  hand  battle 
ensued  in  which  many  were  seriously  wounded.  Eleven 
of  the  Turners  were  indicted  by  the  grand  jury,  but 
towards  the  end  of  January,  1855,  after  repeated  post- 
ponements, the  case  was  finally  dropped. 

The  convention  in  Pittsburg,  September  1  1  and 
12,  1854,  is  comparatively  uninteresting.  Although  the 
Bund  embraced  62  societies,  the  report  was  somewhat 
unfavorable,  particularly  as  to  finances,  as  these  had 
been  woefully  mismanaged.  It  was  resolved  that  not 
more  than  one  society  in  any  one  city  could  belong  to 
the  Turnerbund,  but  that  this  Turnoerein  could  establish 
branch  societies  if  it  so  desired.  The  Turnzeitung  became 
the  subject  of  heated  debates.  It  was  decided  to  issue 
it  once  a  week  in  larger  form  and  in  smaller  type 
in  order  to  make  room  for  a  discussion  of  political 
questions.  Philadelphia  was  again  selected  as  the 
executive  center.  It  was  decided  to  give  the  Turnfest  in 
Cincinnati,  and  Buffalo  was  chosen  for  the  convention. 

The  ensuing  year  was  not  fraught  with  many  encour- 
aging results.  The  heated  arguments  between  the  North 
and  the  South  over  the  slavery  question  had  a  depress- 
ing influence  on  the  social  life  of  the  Turnoereine.  The 
Turnzeitung  ignored  its  actual  purpose,  that  of  furthering 
and  encouraging  the  practice  of  physical  training,  and 
manifested  a  lively  interest  in  the  burning  political 
questions  of  the  day.     And  this  is  only  a  reflection  of 


(28) 


North  Jlmerican  Gymnastic  Union 


the  attitude  of  the  societies  themselves,  for  they  lost 
interest  in  their  gymnastic  activities,  and  devoted  them- 
selves to  politics. 

Members  of  the  Know-Nothing  party  showed  a  mali- 
cious enmity  toward  the  German  citizens,  and  their  fre- 
quent attacks  finally  forced  the  Turners  to  resort  to  arms 
in  self-defence.  Especially,  in  Cincinnati  and  Columbus 
was  this  the  case.  At  a  city  election  in  Cincinnati  a 
veritable  riot  ensued  which  resulted  in  blood-shed.  At 
a  Tumfest  in  Columbus  the  city  rowdies  found  occasion 
to  vent  their  ire  on  the  "white  jackets,"  as  the  Turners 
were  jeeringly  dubbed,  and  the  riot  which  followed  as- 
sumed the  aspect  of  a  battle.  One  of  the  attacking 
party  was  killed  and  nineteen  Turners  were  arrested  on 
the  charge  of  assault  with  intent  to  kill.  After  a  success- 
ful plea  on  the  part  of  the  lawyer  of  the  defense  they 
were  finally  acquitted. 

By  reason  of  the  agitation  of  the  American  party 
against  all  foreigners  and  by  their  own  use  of  the  mother 
tongue,  the  German  element  at  that  time  was  separated 
almost  entirely  from  social  intercourse  with  the  rest  of 
the  population.  This  increased  the  range  of  activities 
within  the  Turning  societies  and  everything  was  done  to 
make  the  social  life  there  as  interesting  and  as  many- 
sided  as  possible. 

A  plan  for  the  establishment  of  a  Turner  settlement 
originated  in  Cincinnati  in  March  of  the  year  1855.  It 
was  proposed  that  each  settler  should  buy  stock  to  the 
extent  of  fifteen  dollars.  The  total  amount  thus  realized 
was  to  be  invested  in  a  large  plot  of  land.  Upon  this 
a  city  was  to  be  laid  out,  and  each  investor  was  to  be 
guaranteed  a  home  or  a  farm.     Only  members   of  the 


(29) 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 


Turnerbund  were  to  be  invited  to  share  in  this  co-operative 
plan,  and  at  the  following  convention  in  Buffalo  it  was 
to  be  decided  whether  the  Turnerbund  should  have  per- 
manent charge  of  this  undertaking.  As  a  result  the 
Turner  settlement  of  New  Ulm,  Minnesota,  was  founded 
and  its  history  is  of  great  importance  in  the  annals  of  the 
Turnerbund. 

The  convention  in  Buffalo,  1855,  marks  a  turning- 
point  in  the  history  of  the  North  American  Gymnastic 
Union.  By  taking  a  decided  stand  against  slavery,  the 
organization  entered  into  the  field  of  practical  politics. 
The  internal  dissensions  which  came  to  the  surface 
more  and  more,  threatened  the  unity  of  the  Bund  and 
introduced  a  spirit  of  discord  among  its  members. 

The  platform  which  was  voted  on  and  accepted  by 
the  representatives  of  forty-seven  societies  after  a  heated 
debate  embodied  the  following  principles: 

"The  Turners  will  vote  for  no  man  who  is  a  member 
of  the  Know-Nothing  party,  or  who  is  identified  with 
any  Nativistic  corporation  or  party  or  does  not  declare 
himself  openly  as  opposed  to  any  organization  of  this 
nature. 

"The  Turners  are  opposed  to  slavery,  and  regard  this 
institution  as  unworthy  of  a  republic  and  not  in  accord 
with  the  principles  of  freedom. 

"The  Turners  are  opposed  to  all  prohibition  laws  as 
undemocratic  in  theory  and  not  feasible  in  practice." 

Towards  the  last  of  October,  1855,  the  newly-elected 
executive  committee  took  office  in  Cincinnati.  This  body 
was  confronted  with  many  difficulties.  The  treasury 
was  at  low  ebb.  There  were  many  unpaid  subscrip- 
tions to  the  Tumzeitung  and  the  Turnerbund  was  finally 


(30) 


North  Jlmerican  Gymnastic  Union 


forced  to  overlook  the  resolution  passed  in  1852.  A 
dispute  which  arose  over  the  division  of  the  Turnerbund 
into  districts  caused  further  difficulty.  The  year  closed 
with  the  Turnfest  in  Cincinnati,  where,  on  account  of  the 
finances,  no  prizes  for  the  literary  works  submitted  could 
be  awarded. 

The  membership  of  the  Bund  was  comparatively 
small  in  proportion  to  the  total  population  of  the  states, 
but,  even  though  it  may  prove  difficult  to  produce  tan- 
gible results,  the  fact  remains  that  they  played  a  promi- 
nent part  in  the  politics  of  the  day.  The  attitude  and  the 
spirited  agitation  of  the  Turners  induced  many  of  the 
early  German  immigrants  who  had  become  identified  with 
the  Democratic  party  to  change  their  minds,  and  to  fall  in 
line  with  the  Unionists.  The  Turners  not  only  manifested 
the  courage  of  their  convictions  in  debate,  in  the  press 
and  in  public  discussions,  but  they  braved  personal  dan- 
ger for  the  anti-slavery  cause  whenever  the  opportunity 
presented  itself.  Such  was  the  case  in  Boston  and  Cin- 
cinnati when  Wendell  Phillips,  the  celebrated  abolitionist 
orator,  was  defended  by  the  Turners  against  the  furious 
attacks  of  hostile  mobs ;  again,  in  New  York,  when  the 
Turners  responded  to  a  call  to  police  a  Fremont  dem- 
onstration. 

The  affairs  of  the  Gymnastic  Union  were  not  as 
flourishing  as  they  had  been  in  the  past.  The  practice 
of  gymnastics  was  gradually  neglected,  and  the  interest 
of  the  Turners  was  absorbed  by  politics.  The  older 
Turners  began  to  withdraw  entirely  from  the  gym- 
nasiums, and  the  young  men,  who  otherwise  would 
have  filled  up  the  membership  of  the  societies,  were  not 


(31  ) 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 


available  for  this  purpose,  for  the  immigrants  of  this  time 
had  not  the  same  interest  in  the  ideals  of  the  Turners. 

The  new  executive  committee,  which  met  in  Cincin- 
nati, was  confronted  with  a  large  indebtedness,  and  the 
organization  was  threatened  with  a  calamitous  future. 
A  number  of  the  southern  societies  resigned  from  the 
Bund  because  of  the  newly-adopted  anti-slavery  para- 
graph in  the  platform.  The  uncompromising  attitude 
of  the  Turnzeitung  toward  these  societies  complicated  the 
situation  further,  and  the  Bund  was  split  into  two  parties. 
The  convention,  which  was  to  be  held  in  Washington, 
promised  reconciliation,  but  the  executive  committee 
suddenly  transferred  the  meeting  to  Pittsburg. 

The  motive  which  prompted  this  change  became  an 
object  of  suspicion,  and  as  a  result  two  conventions  were 
held,  one  in  Washington  and  the  other  in  Pittsburg. 
Thus  the  situation  became  still  further  complicated. 
Attempts  to  reconcile  the  two  factions  failed.  At  the 
convention  in  Pittsburg  it  was  resolved  to  establish  a 
school  for  gymnastic  teachers,  trade  schools  for  the 
members  of  the  Bund,  and  gymnastic  schools  for  boys 
and  girls.  Each  of  these  factions  issued  a  proclamation 
declaring  that  they  alone  deserved  recognition  as  the 
official  gymnastic  union. 

The  year  1856  is  of  importance,  in  that  it  marks 
one  of  the  most  brutal  attacks  made  by  the  Nativistic 
rowdies  on  the  Turners.  In  May  of  that  year,  1 60  members 
of  the  Cincinnati  Turngemeinde,  together  with  Turners  from 
Newport  and  Covington,  held  a  gymnastic  festival  on 
the  Kentucky  side  of  the  Ohio  river.  The  disturbances 
which  had  begun  in  the  afternoon  came  to  a  climax  upon 
the   return    march   of   the    gymnasts   from   the   festival 


(32) 


North  American  Gymnastic  Union 


grounds,  and  in  the  street  fights  which  followed  a  great 
number  of  participants  were  seriously  wounded.  The 
Turners  fought  their  way  through  the  mob  and  sought 
refuge  in  the  Newport  gymnasium,  where  they  were  in  a 
position  of  defense  throughout  the  night.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day  107  Turners  were  arrested.  The  bond 
of  each  was  fixed  at  $1,000,  the  entire  sum,  $107,000, 
being  furnished  by  two  citizens  of  Newport.  Later  on, 
after  investigation,  all  were  dismissed  save  nine,  who 
were  kept  in  confinement,  and  finally,  after  a  long  trial, 
were  given  their  freedom. 

Two  gymnastic  festivals  were  held  in  September  of 
the  year  1857,  the  one  in  Milwaukee  and  the  other  in 
New  York,  and  both  were   eminently  successful. 

Repeated  attempts  at  reuniting  the  two  factions  of 
the  Bund  failed,  so  in  September  of  the  year  1857,  the 
one  branch  held  its  convention  in  Detroit,  and  the  other 
in  Paterson,  N.  J.  The  disappointment  of  the  various 
societies  at  the  utter  failure  to  bring  about  a  reconcilia- 
tion resulted  in  the  gradual  elimination  of  both  factions, 
as  the  quarrel  had  now  assumed  a  personal  nature,  and 
dealt  with  mere  formalities  rather  than  with  vital  princi- 
ples. This  elimination  was  hastened  when  the  executive 
committee  of  Cincinnati  issued  a  proclamation  urging 
the  various  societies  to  remove  such  members  who  did 
not  declare  themselves  in  entire  accord  with  the  plat- 
form of  the  Bund.  A  great  many  of  the  societies 
ignored  this  proclamation  entirely;  some  repudiated  it, 
and  in  many  cities  it  resulted  in  the  founding  of  inde- 
pendent organizations. 

The  report  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  western 
faction,   which    held    its   convention   in  Indianapolis  in 


(33) 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 


September,  1857,  showed  that  20  societies  had  been 
disbanded;  that  15  had  resigned,  and  that  13  had 
joined  the  union.  The  treasury  was  at  low  ebb  and  the 
outlook  for  the  future  did  not  seem  promising.  Only 
1 3  societies  were  represented  at  the  convention  of  the 
eastern  faction,  and  the  report  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee indicated  a  decrease  in  membership. 

The  executive  committee  of  the  year  1858,  which 
had  its  headquarters  in  Dubuque,  made  active  efforts  to 
put  the  resolutions  of  previous  conventions  into  practice. 
Public  speakers  were  engaged  to  undertake  lecture 
tours  and  to  direct  the  interest  of  the  societies  into  intel- 
lectual channels.  The  larger  societies  were  urged  to 
establish  schools   for  the  development  of  class  leaders. 

The  impetus  toward  effecting  negotiations  between 
the  rival  factions  was  given  by  the  executive  committee 
in  Washington,  and  it  was  finally  decided  to  have  a 
joint  session  at  a  gymnastic  festival  to  be  held  at  Balti- 
more in  August,  1859,  when  the  conditions  under 
which  the  reconciliation  could  be  effected  were  to  be 
discussed.  Representatives  of  the  opposing  factions  met 
in  Baltimore,  and  an  agreement  was  drawn  up  which 
was  to  serve  as  a  basis  for  this  consolidation.  The  final 
step  to  reunite  the  Turnerhund  was  made  by  the  Wil- 
liamsburg Turnverein  at  an  extra  session,  which  was 
convened  in  that  city  November  1 3,   1 859. 

The  small  attendance  at  the  gymnastic  festival  at  St. 
Louis,  1 860,  was  undoubledly  due  to  the  critical  political 
situation  in  the  country.  The  coming  presidential  elec- 
tion promised  to  be  a  turning  point  in  the  history  of  the 
nation.     In    several    proclamations    the  executive  com- 


(34) 


North  yJmerican  Gymnastic  Union 


mittee  urged  the  members  of  the  Turnerbund  to  support 
Lincoln. 

The  ominous  reports  which  emanated  from  the 
South  in  the  midst  of  the  jubilation  and  the  excitement 
which  followed  the  election  of  Lincoln,  boded  ill  for 
the  peace  of  the  nation.  The  Confederate  States  were 
mustering  their  troops  in  Virginia,  and  were  menac- 
ing the  national  capital.  To  the  northern  friends 
of  the  rebellion,  this  appeared  as  an  opportune  mo- 
ment for  action.  This  feeling  vented  itself  in  the 
now  famous  Baltimore  riot,  which  raged  around  the 
Turners  of  that  city.  For,  after  the  fall  of  Fort 
Sumter,  the  state  flag  of  Maryland  had  been  hoisted 
upon  all  public  buildings.  The  Union  flag  remained 
on  only  one  building,  the  unpretentious  hall  of  the 
Baltimore  Turnverein.  On  April  19  th  a  large  mob 
gathered  in  front  of  the  building,  and  under  threat  of 
destroying  the  hall,  demanded  that  the  Union  flag  should 
be  replaced  by  the  state  flag.  To  this  the  Turners 
defiantly  replied  that  they  would  rather  blow  up  their 
own  building  than  defame  it  by  hoisting  the  rebel 
standard. 

On  April  20,  the  Turner  Hall,  though  valiantly  defend- 
ed by  the  Turners,  was  captured  by  the  rebel  mob  and 
every  movable  bit  of  property  and  all  the  gymnastic 
apparatus  was  thrown  upon  the  street.  The  neighboring 
office  of  the  official  organ  of  the  gymnastic  union  and  the 
printing  establishment  of  the  German  paper  IVecker 
met  a  similar  fate,  both  buildings  being  razed  to  the 
ground.  Many  Turners  were  forced  to  flee  the  city  in 
order  to  save  their  lives. 

Before  the  Turners  could  realize  what  had  happened. 


(35) 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 


and  before  they  could  entrust  the  affairs  of  the  Bund 
to  new  hands,  war  was  declared  and  their  activity  was 
diverted  to  the  field  of  battle. 

THE  CIVIL  WAR  PERIOD 

Those  who  were  friendly  to  the  cause  of  the  Union 
welcomed  Lincoln's  call  to  arms  with  enthusiasm,  and 
their  sentiment  was  echoed  by  the  great  majority  of  the 
German  population  of  the  United  States.  All  party 
differences  and  private  interests  were  laid  aside  in  order 
to  stamp  out  the  rebellion  and  to  ward  off  the  great 
danger  which  threatened  to  dissolve  the  nation. 

The  Turners  were  among  the  first  to  respond  to  the 
call  to  arms  and  enlist  in  the  Union  army.  In  some 
regions  where  the  societies  were  large  enough,  entire 
companies  were  recruited  from  their  ranks,  and  in  New 
York,  St.  Louis  and  Cincinnati  regiments  were  formed, 
which  were  almost  entirely  composed  of  Turners. 
Numerous  societies  had  to  give  up  their  gymnastic  work 
entirely,  and  many  were  dissolved  because  the  majority 
of  their  members  had  taken  up  the  musket.  Just  as  the 
period  preceding  the  outbreak  of  the  war  had  been  the 
most  inglorious,  so  these  days  were  perhaps  the  most 
glorious  in  the  history  of  the  Turnerbund. 

The  committee  report  of  the  Rochester  convention 
showed  that  the  Bund  included  in  the  neighborhood  of 
10,000  members,  and  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  at  least 
6,000  of  these  enlisted  in  the  Union  army.  But  with 
these,  about  2,000  men  who  had  been  Turners  before 
the  outbreak  of  the  war  must  be  included. 

How  the  spirit  and  enthusiasm  that  animated  the 
Turners  in  these  stirring  times  was  manifested  in  many 


(36) 


North  American  Gymnastic  Union 


ways  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  is  clearly  shown  by  the 
incidents  that  follow. 

The  Turners  in  Kansas  allied  themselves  with  the 
Free  State  party,  and  stubbornly  aided  in  preventing  the 
pro-slavery  party  from  making  the  territory  a  slave  state. 
The  Germans  gave  valuable  aid  to  the  Free  State  faction 
in  their  bloody  encounters  with  the  Missouri  border 
ruffians  in  1855.  An  interesting  incident  is  reported  in 
the  account  of  the  conflict  between  thirty-five  Turners 
and  an  equal  number  of  native  Americans  from  Leaven- 
worth, who  under  Captain  Haas,  wrested  a  cannon  and 
other  weapons  from  the  ruffians  in  Kickapoo. 

The  national  capital  was  not  only  threatened  by  an 
invasion  by  the  Southerners,  January,  1 86 1 ,  but  was  also 
endangered  by  the  secessionist  element  within  the  city. 
The  two  Turnvereine  of  Washington  organized  a  com- 
pany of  sharpshooters,  composed  of  eighty-one  men,  and 
offered  their  services  to  Colonel  Stone  to  aid  in  defend- 
ing the  city.  They  also  gave  valuable  service  upon  the 
arrival  of  Lincoln  in  Washington,  and  on  the  day  of  his 
inauguration  they  formed  a  part  of  his  body-guard  dur- 
ing the  ceremonies. 

In  the  beginning  of  January,  1861,  the  Turners  of 
St.  Louis  passed  a  resolution  by  which  the  Turnoerein 
was  dissolved  and  in  its  stead  a  military  organization  to 
guard  the  Union  and  the  cause  of  freedom  was  estab- 
lished. It  was  further  resolved  to  sacrifice  life  and  prop- 
erty, if  necessary,  to  keep  the  county  of  St.  Louis  loyal  to 
the  administration  in  case  the  state  of  Missouri  should 
decide  to  secede.  These  steps  were  taken  at  a  time 
when  the  magnitude  of  the  danger  which  threatened  the 
country  was  barely  realized.     It  was  prompted  purely 


(37) 

44863 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 


by  patriotism  and  by  the  enthusiasm  for  the  cause  of 
freedom.  The  Secessionists  had  made  every  effort  to 
win  the  Turners  over  to  their  side,  for  they  were  fully 
aware  of  their  influence  over  the  rest  of  the  German 
population;  and  when  they  did  not  succeed  in  this 
effort  they  persecuted  the  "white  jackets"  to  the  limit  of 
endurance.  At  the  time  of  Lincoln's  call  to  arms  three 
complete  and  well  drilled  companies  of  Turners  in 
St.  Louis  were  ready  for  immediate  service.  These  were 
incorporated  in  the  1st  Missouri  Regiment  and  took 
part  in  the  campaign  in  southern  Missouri.  When,  at 
the  end  of  their  three  months'  military  service  they 
were  dismissed,  they  joined  the  1  7th  Missouri  Regiment 
which  was  made  up  almost  entirely  of  Turners  and 
became  known  as  the  Western  Turner  Regiment.  They 
took  part  in  numerous  battles  and  accompanied  Sherman 
on  his  march  to  Atlanta. 

The  Turners  of  St.  Louis  were  undoubtedly  the  first 
to  come  to  the  protection  of  the  Union  in  the  hour  of 
danger,  and  it  is  due  to  their  influence  and  that  of  their 
German  compatriots  that  the  state  of  Missouri  did  not 
secede  from  the  Union.  How  prompt  and  effective 
their  action  was  is  shown  by  the  capture  of  Camp  Jack- 
son, May  10,  1861.  This  act  disheartened  the  Secession- 
ists, and  kept  the  city  and  county  of  St.  Louis  from  throw- 
ing the  weight  of  their  influence  to  the  southern  cause. 

When  the  president  of  the  New  York  Turnverein 
issued  a  martial  proclamation,  1 ,200  men  responded  and 
were  enlisted  for  two  years  in  the  service  of  the  Union. 
Of  these,  three  companies  were  made  up  of  New  York 
Turners,  two  from  Williamsburg  and  one  from  Newark, 
N.  J.     The  remainder  of  the  regiment  was  supplied  by 


(38) 


North  Jlmerican  Gymnastic  Union 


the  gymnastic  societies  from  Boston,  Philadelphia  and 
other  cities.  Under  command  of  Colonel  Max  Weber 
they  were  sent  to  Fortress  Monroe,  Virginia,  June  1, 
1 86 1 ,  and  took  part  in  the  capture  of  Norfolk.  As  part 
of  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  the  regiment  fought  in  the 
battles  of  Savage  Station,  White  Oak  Swamp,  Mal- 
vern Hill,  Fredericksburg,  South  Mountain,  Antietam 
and  Salem  Heights.  On  May  10,  1863,  the  regiment, 
now  numbering  only  460  men,  returned  to  New   York. 

The  Turners  of  Cincinnati  were  also  among  the  first 
to  take  up  arms.  The  men  were  recruited  from  the 
gymnastic  societies  all  over  Ohio,  and  for  this  reason 
the  regiment  was  known  as  the  Ohio  Turner  Regiment. 
Under  the  leadership  of  McCook  and  Willich,  it  took 
part  in  the  siege  of  Corinth,  in  the  battles  of  Perryville , 
Chickamauga,  Chattanooga,  Lookout  Mountain  and 
Missionary  Ridge.  This  9th  Ohio  Regiment,  which  was 
composed  of  1,135  men,  was  considered  one  of  the 
fittest  of  the  Union  army,  and  during  its  three  years' 
service  earned  undying  fame. 

Four  hundred  men  responded  to  the  summons  of 
the  Philadelphia  Turngemeinde  for  volunteers,  and,  forming 
four  companies,  they  placed  themselves  at  the  disposal 
of  the  governor.  Pennsylvania  had,  however,  supplied 
its  share  of  men  before  these  volunteers  could  be  mus- 
tered into  service,  and  so  they  turned  to  New  York, 
where  they  joined  the  Astor  Regiment.  A  fifth  company 
of  Philadelphia  Turners  traveled  to  St.  Louis  where  they 
enlisted  in  the  Western  Turner  Regiment. 

The  Turner  Union  Cadets  of  Chicago,  composed  of 
105  men,  organized  themselves  on  April  17,  and  were 
ready  to  go  into  battle  within   four  days.     A   second 


(39) 


Ji    Brief   History    of   the 


company,  organized  after  the  departure  of  these  men, 
joined  the  24th  Illinois. 

The  Milwaukee  Turnoerein  organized  a  battalion  of 
sharpshooters,  and  their  forty  members  were  augmented 
to  105  by  Turners  from  other  Wisconsin  societies.  In 
the  beginning  of  May  they  joined  the  5th  Wisconsin  as 
Company  C,  Turner  Rifles. 

When  the  Turners  of  Indianapolis  returned  at  the 
close  of  their  three  months'  service,  a  desire  was  urgent 
among  them  to  organize  a  wholly  German  regiment,  and 
with  the  approval  of  Governor  Morton  this  was  accom- 
plished. The  regiment  was  placed  under  the  command 
of  August  Willich,  and  the  ten  companies  were  recruited 
from  Indianapolis,  Madison,  Aurora,  Lawrenceburg, 
Terre  Haute,  Lafayette,  Laporte  and  Evansville.  The 
regiment,  which  departed  September  6,  1 86 1 ,  for  Louis- 
ville, was  enrolled  as  the  32d  Indiana  Regiment,  and 
gained  for  itself  a  well-earned  reputation  in  the  battles  of 
Rowlett  Station,  Shiloh,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Mis- 
sionary Ridge  and  on  the  march  to  Atlanta. 

Although  it  is  practically  impossible  to  determine  the 
exact  number,  there  was  hardly  a  gymnastic  society  in 
the  Union  which  was  not  represented  by  at  least  several 
Turners  on  the  field  of  battle.  In  view  of  the  disorgan- 
ized condition  of  the  Tumerbund,  no  record  of  the 
Turners  who  enlisted  in  the  army  was  kept,  and,  conse- 
quently, the  names  of  those  men  who  sacrificed  their 
lives  in  the  cause  is,  to  a  great  extent,  unknown. 

An  account  of  the  civil  war  period  in  this  limited 
history  of  the  Tumerbund  is  necessarily  brief,  but  it  is  well, 
perhaps,  to  enumerate  the  more  important  regiments 
which  were  composed  wholly  or  in  part  of  Turners: 


(40) 


North  Jlmerican  Gymnastic  Union 


"From  Missouri  the  1  st  (Colonel  Blair),  the  3d  (Colonel 
Franz  Sigel),  the  12th  (Colonel  Osterhaus),  the  17th 
(Colonel  Hassendeubel,  later  Colonel  Kramer),  and  the 
41st  (Colonel  Wiedemeyer);  from  Wisconsin  the  5th, 
the  9th  (Colonel  Salomon),  the  26th  (Colonel  Hans 
Bdbel);  from  Ohio  the  9th  (Colonel  McCook),  the  28th 
(Colonel  Moor),  the  37th  (Colonel  Siebert),  the  106th 
(Colonel  G.  Tafel),  the  108  th  (Colonel  Limberg);  from 
Illinois  the  9th  (Colonel  Mersy),  the  24th  (Colonel  Fred- 
erick Hecker),  the  43d  (Colonel  Engelmann),  the  82d 
(Colonel  Frederick  Hecker);  the  1st  and  2d  of  Kentucky; 
the  47th  of  Pennsylvania;  the  20th  of  New  York  (Col- 
onel Max  Weber,  later  Colonel  Engelbert  Schnepf);  the 
2d  Cavalry  Regiment  of  Minnesota  (Lieutenant-Colonel 
Pfander);  the  Artillery  Brigade  of  Ohio  (Colonel  Max 
Hoffmann),  and  the  Artillery  Brigade  of  Minnesota  (Col- 
onel Wm.  Pfander*)." 

During  the  early  part  of  the  war  many  unsuccessful 
attempts  were  made  to  infuse  new  life  into  the  Turnerbund. 
The  Turner  societies  of  New  York,  which  had  been 
strengthened  by  numerous  immigrants,  formed  a  close 
alliance  in  February,  1 863,  and  when  they  had  gained  a 
firm  foothold  they  made  an  attempt  to  call  the  Turnerbund! 
back  into  life.  A  general  gymnastic  festival,  to  which  the 
societies  from  all  over  the  country  were  invited,  was 
determined  on  as  the  best  means  to  effect  this  end. 

Over  800  visiting  Turners  took  part  in  the  festival, 
September,  1864,  and  every  one  of  these  evinced  a 
desire  for  the  reorganization  of  the  Bund,  and  at  the 
convention  which  was  held  at  this  time  it  was  decided 
to  retain  the  platform  of  the  old  Bund,  and  to  give  the 
title  of  Amerikanischer  Turnerbund  to  the  new  organization. 

*H.  Huhn,  Turner  Almanac,  1890. 


(41) 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 


A  proclamation  was  issued  by  the  central  committee 
to  the  gymnastic  societies  of  America  calling  upon  them 
to  group  themselves  into  districts  and  to  join  the  new 
Turnerbund.  This  met  with  general  approval,  and  the 
beginning,  made  by  Cincinnati  with  five  societies,  was 
rapidly  followed  by  the  districts  of  New  England,  West 
New  York,  St  Louis,  Connecticut  and  Wisconsin. 

The  convention  in  Washington,  April  3,  1 865,  is  of 
primary  importance  in  the  history  of  the  North  American 
Gymnastic  Union,  for  at  this  meeting  the  unfortunate 
period  of  factional  strife  was  terminated,  and  the  cause 
of  German  gymnastics  was  taken  up  with  renewed  vigor. 
The  friendly  spirit  shown  by  all  the  delegates  contrib- 
uted greatly  toward  the  amicable  readjustment  of 
affairs,  which  furthered  the  revival  of  the  Bund.  The 
general  enthusiasm,  however,  can  no  doubt  be  attributed 
to  another  cause  which  aroused  great  rejoicing  at  this 
memorable  meeting. 

Dispatches  telling  of  the  glorious  victories  of  the  Union 
arms,  which  culminated  in  the  capture  of  Richmond 
and  promised  the  total  suppression  of  the  rebellion  in 
the  near  future,  arrived  in  Washington  during  the  session 
of  the  Turner  delegates,  and  were  received  with  unabated 
enthusiasm.  The  city  became  a  scene  of  joyous  festiv- 
ities, into  which  the  organizers  of  the  new  Bund  entered 
with  great  enthusiasm,  and  the  spirit  of  the  occasion 
manifested  itself  within  the  convention  hall.  They  had 
good  reason  to  rejoice,  for  the  defeat  of  the  Confederacy, 
with  its  great  national  significance,  came  simultaneously 
with  the  formation  of  the  vigorous,  reunited  Turnerbund. 


(42) 


North  American  Gymnastic  Union 


THE  TURNERBUND  AFTER  THE  CIVIL  WAR 
The  gymnastic  societies,  which  had  managed  to  exist 
through  the  turmoil  of  the  civil  war,  flourished  rapidly 
after  the  Washington  convention  of  the  re-united  Turner- 
bund.  It  was,  indeed,  a  period  of  enthusiastic  activity. 
Upon  returning  from  the  field  of  battle,  the  Turners 
resumed  the  work  in  their  societies,  which  had  been 
neglected  for  such  a  long  time,  with  renewed  vigor  and 
interest,  and  they  found  new  and  valuable  allies  in  the 
numerous  German  immigrants  of  that  day  who  had 
received  a  thorough  gymnastic  training  in  the  mother 
country.  The  New  York  executive  committee  did  every- 
thing in  its  power  to  encourage  the  work  of  rejuvenating 
and  strengthening  the  Turnerbund.  It  planned  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  normal  school  for  the  training  of  teachers 
of  gymnastics  in  order  to  supply  the  societies  and 
schools  with  competent  men  who  had  enjoyed  the 
benefit  of  a  complete  theoretic  and  practical  study  of 
gymnastics.  It  may  be  of  interest  to  note  that  at  the 
Turnfest  in  Cincinnati,  in  September,  1865,  a  nation- 
al meeting  of  the  teachers  of  physical  training,  the 
first  of  its  kind  in  the  history  of  German-American 
gymnastics,  was  convened  in  that  city.  Furthermore, 
an  effort  was  made  to  gain  the  interest  of  prominent 
educators  and  their  co-operation  in  the  publication  of  a 
series  of  non-sectarian  German  school  books  to  be  used 
by  the  societies  and  German  academies.  The  ultimate 
ambition  was  to  introduce  the  teaching  of  German  into 
the  public  schools  of  the  country.  The  Turner  societies 
evinced  a  -decided  interest  in  all  intellectual  questions, 
and  prominent  lecturers  were  engaged  to  address  their 
members. 


(43) 


Jl    Brief    History    of    the 


Aside  from  matters  concerning  gymnastics  and  other 
educational  questions,  the  solution  of  the  political  prob- 
lems of  that  time  was  foremost  in  the  minds  of  the  Turn- 
ers. In  their  national  convention  in  St.  Louis,  1 866,  the 
following  resolutions  were  adopted  and  forwarded  to 
the  United  States  congress: 

(1)  "The  constitution  of  the  United  States  provides 
that  congress  shall  make  all  those  laws  and  provisions 
necessary  for  the  general  welfare  of  the  nation;  there- 
fore, it  should  be  its  duty  to  pass  such  laws  as  will  insure 
the  future,  and  shall  enforce  those  republican  provisions 
of  the  constitution  which  will  extend  to  every  citizen  of 
the  United  States  his  rights  as  such  in  each  state  of  the 
Union. 

(2)  "The  constitution  shall  be  amended  in  such  a 
form  that  the  cardinal  principles  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  will  have  a  legal  status. 

(3)  "The  convention  advises  the  Turners  and  all 
friends  of  freedom  to  be  alert  and  manifest  an  active 
interest  in  all  public  questions,  so  that  congress  may 
realize  that  it  will  be  supported  by  a  loyal  body  of 
citizens  only  when  it  makes  an  honest  effort  to  smother 
the  national  turmoil  by  instituting  energetic  provisions  to 
eradicate  certain  existing  evils." 

The  New  York  district  added  the  following : 
"  It  shall  further  be  the  duty  of  this  organization  to 
support  all  attempts  to  raise  the  intellectual  standard 
of  the  people,  and  to  promote  a  non-sectarian  education 
of  the  youth  by  establishing  and  furthering  good  schools." 
It  is  significant  to  note  that  the  manifesto  was  issued 
at  a  time  when  the  promise  of  the  civil  war  for  a  true 
democracy  was  in  imminent  peril,  and  this,  as  the  Turners 


(44) 


North  Jlmerican  Gymnastic  Union 


stated  in  the  preamble  to  their  resolution,  was  due  to  the 
fact  that  President  Andrew  Johnson  did  not  redeem  his 
promises  and  was  sacrificing  the  interests  of  the  country. 

In  1867  the  effort  was  made  by  the  executive  com- 
mittee to  form  an  independent  progressive  party. 
Although  the  attempt  failed  because  the  Turners  were 
unwilling  to  divert  their  activities  into  partisan  political 
channels,  the  movement  retains  an  historical  interest. 
The  leading  spirits  of  this  proposed  organization  felt  that 
a  true  democratic  republic  could  be  attained  only  when 
the  demands  of  their  platform  were  carried  into  execution. 

The  most  significant  paragraphs  of  this  platform  call 
for  the  impartial  administration  of  justice  without  discri- 
mination as  to  race,  color  or  nationality;  for  the  protec- 
tion of  life  and  property;  for  an  enumeration  of  the 
uniform  legal  qualifications  for  voters  in  the  national 
elections;  for  a  general  and  uniform  distribution  of 
taxes  and  the  maintenance  of  the  principle  of  a  pro- 
gressive capital  and  income  tax.  The  platform  also 
demanded  that  free  entry  should  be  given  all  raw  prod- 
ucts which  could  be  produced  only  in  insufficient  quan- 
tity within  the  United  States ;  that  better  national  support 
should  be  given  to  the  department  of  education;  that 
its  work  should  be  extended  farther,  particularly  in 
the  South ;  that  compulsory  school  education  be  intro- 
duced as  a  necessary  guarantee  against  the  misuse  of  the 
voting  privilege ;  that  all  monopolies  should  be  restricted 
and  that  the  employee  should  be  protected  against  the 
unjust  demands  of  his  employer.  Furthermore,  a  national 
standing  army  was  advocated  on  the  basis  of  compul- 
sory military  service ;  laws  protecting  and  encouraging 
desirable  immigration  were  urged,  and,  in  conclusion. 


(45) 


Jl    Brief  History    of   the 


\ 


the  Turners  advocated  the  abolishment  of  the  existing 
presidential  system,  declaring  it  to  be  an  unrepublican 
institution,  and  advised  in  its  stead  a  national  executive 
committee,  to  be  elected  by  congress,  and  the  separation 
of  the  military  authority  from  all  political  power  as  more 
expedient  and  more  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  the  time. 

At  that  time  the  Turnerbund  was  composed  of  18 
districts  and  1 4  8  societies,  with  a  total  membership  of 
10,200. 

In  1 87 1  the  executive  committee  published  a  manifesto 
addressed  to  the  people  of  the  United  States,  in  which  the 
attitude  of  the  Turners  toward  the  public  questions  of  the 
day  was  defined  at  length.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to 
enumerate  the  specific  clauses  of  this  manifesto,  since  the 
political  policy  advocated  by  the  Turners  has  been  set 
forth  in  the  above  account  of  the  platform  of  the  free 
progressive  party.  However,  one  paragraph  dealing 
with  socialism  as  it  was  understood  by  the  Turners  at 
that  time,  is  of  special  interest.  The  manifesto  makes 
the  following  statement: 

"  Socialism  of  to-day,  in  which  we  Turners  believe, 
aims  to  remove  the  pernicious  antagonism  between  labor 
and  capital.  It  endeavors  to  effect  a  reconciliation 
between  these  two,  and  to  establish  a  peace  by  which 
the  rights  of  the  former  are  fully  protected  against  the 
encroachments  of  the  latter. 

"  In  short,  socialism  wishes  to  actuate  business  hon- 
esty. There  is  no  doubt  that  the  next  European  revolu- 
tion will  primarily  exhibit  a  social  character,  and  it  is 
difficult  to  foresee  the  outcome.  However,  since  self- 
preservation  is  the  inherent  impulse  of  the  human  race, 
the  ultimate  solution  of  this  vital  problem  will  be  in  the 


(46) 


North  Jlmerican  Gymnastic  Union 


final  victory  of  the  oppressed  classes.  They,  in  their 
turn,  must  not  violate  justice  in  their  demands.  They 
must  not  endeavor  to  build  up  some  sort  of  a  new  aris- 
tocracy of  the  working  class  upon  the  ruins  of  the  old 
aristocratic  class,  with  its  manifold  privileges  and  numer- 
ous monopolies  and  its  unwarrantable  advantages — a 
heritage  bestowed  by  the  blind  accident  of  birth. 

"We  wish  all  men  to  be  working  men,  sustaining 
themselves  by  the  product  of  their  labor,  but  by  no 
means  do  we  favor  the  creation  of  new  class  distinctions 
upon  the  overthrow  of  the  present  controlling  class." 

It  will  be  observed  that  a  great  number  of  the  reforms 
advocated  by  the  Turners  in  their  manifestos  some  forty 
odd  years  ago  anticipated  the  political  questions  which 
have  come  to  the  foreground  at  the  present  day.*  The 
question  of  universal  suffrage,  which  is  the  basis  for 
much  feverish  discussion  in  our  age,  was  propounded  to 
the  American  people  by  the  Turners  in  October  of  the 
year  1871.  It  was  urged  that  men  and  women  should 
have  an  equal  status  in  the  political  life  of  the  nation, 
and  that  the  power  of  the  ballot  should  also  be  conferred 
upon  the  latter.  This  clause,  which  caused  great  excite- 
ment in  numerous  gymnastic  societies  and  led  to  heated 
debates,  was  finally  withdrawn  at  the  Louisville  conven- 
tion in  the  following  May. 

It  is  but  natural  that  the  momentous  crisis  of  the  civil 
war,  and  the  serious  problems  of  reconstruction  with 
which  the  nation  was  confronted  at  the  conclusion  of 
that  terrible  struggle,  should  leave  a  deep  impression 
upon  the  minds  of  the  "  Forty-eighters,"  as  the  political 
refugees  of  the  German  revolution  of  1848  were  called. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Americans  learned  to  appreciate 

•The  Turner  Convention  at  Denver,  1894,  recommended  the  establishment  of 
Postal  Saving!  Banks. 


(47) 


Jl    Brief    History    of   the 


the  noble  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  which  the  Germans  had 
shown  in  the  dark  days  of  the  civil  war.  Intercourse 
between  the  men  of  these  two  great  races  became  more 
frequent  day  by  day  in  business,  social  and  political 
ways.  Gradually  the  conviction  dawned  upon  both  that 
the  one  could  learn  a  great  deal  from  the  other,  and 
unconsciously,  in  the  meanwhile,  the  Germans  became 
more  and  more  Americanized. 

However,  the  chief  factor  in  this  process  of  trans- 
formation, which  manifested  its  slow  but  irresistible 
progress  in  all  the  German  clubs  and  societies,  was  the 
maturing  youth.  The  revolutionary  spirit  of  the  "  Forty- 
eighters"  which  inspired  the  fathers,  was  strange  and 
incomprehensible  to  their  children  who  had  grown  up 
in  other  surroundings,  and  had  been  imbued  with  differ- 
ent thoughts  and  feelings.  The  English  language,  which 
came  so  much  easier  to  this  new  generation,  attained 
precedence  at  all  the  social  gatherings  and  entertain- 
ments, although  the  official  language  continued  to  be 
German  at  all  formal  meetings  of  the  Turners. 

Again,  it  became  evident  that  the  Turners  of  America 
had  but  little  in  common  with  the  Turners  of  Germany, 
as  was  boldly  pointed  out  in  the  annual  report  of  the 
executive  committee  of  1872. 

"  The  Turners  of  America  have  nothing  in  common 
with  the  Turners  of  the  old  fatherland,  except  the  system 
of  physical  training,"  says  the  report,  and  then  proceeds: 
1  Of  our  endeavors  for  reform  in  the  political,  religious 
and  social  fields,  of  the  struggle  against  corruption  and 
slavery  in  all  forms,  the  Turners  in  Germany  know  noth- 
ing, although  this  has  been  the  object  and  the  inspiration 
of  our  gymnastic  union." 


(48) 


North  Jlmerican  Gymnastic  Union 


The  Turners  of  Germany  had  ceased  to  participate, 
as  an  organization,  in  the  attempts  to  solve  the  political 
problems  of  their  country,  and  confined  their  activities 
solely  to  the  practice  of  physical  training.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  American  Turners  continued  to  be  as  actively 
interested  in  the  vital  questions  of  the  day  after  the  civil 
war  as  they  had  been  in  the  past.  In  order  to  empha- 
size the  different  sphere  of  the  Turnerbund,  the  execu- 
tive committee  made  the  following  statement  in 
this  report:  "Our  Turnerbund  might  be  regarded  as  a 
mere  branch  of  the  German  Turnerbund.  But,  on  the 
contrary,  the  American  Turnerbund,  as  it  is  organized  to- 
day, with  its  platform  and  its  constitution,  its  hopes  and 
endeavors,  is  pre-eminently  American." 

The  Chicago  executive  committee,  which  made  the 
statement  quoted  above,  further  urged  the  various  soci- 
eties to  awaken  an  interest  in  the  Turnerbund  in  the 
native  Americans,  and  to  popularize  the  practice  of 
physical  training  through  their  influence. 

At  the  national  convention  of  the  Turnerbund  at 
Cleveland  in  1878,  a  series  of  resolutions  embodying 
the  principles  of  the  Turners  was  adopted.  They  advo- 
cated the  right  of  recall,  the  initiative  and  referendum 
for  all  important  laws,  the  abolishment  of  all  complicated 
representation  of  the  people,  and  declared  the  artificial 
distribution  of  power,  as,  for  instance,  the  election  of 
senators  by  the  state  legislatures,  to  be  a  pernicious 
obstacle  to  true  democracy. 

As  a  proper  solution  for  certain  social  problems  as  a 
means  for  the  betterment  of  social  conditions,  the  Turners 
recommended  laws  for  the  protection  of  labor  against 
capital;  for  the  inspection  of  factories,  food  and  lodgings 


(49) 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 


as  a  sanitary  safeguard,  and  for  the  restriction  pi  child 
labor  in  factories.  The  abolishment  of  the  senate  and 
the  presidency  in  their  present  form  was  recommended 
on  the  ground  that  these  were  identical  with  certain 
monarchical  institutions.  The  cessation  of  the  practice 
of  donating  or  selling  public  land  to  private  individuals 
and  corporations  was  also  advocated  in  this  declaration. 

Many  of  the  more  conservative  members  of  the 
Tumerbund  were  opposed  to  this  declaration  of  princi- 
ples as  drawn  up  by  the  Cleveland  convention,  but  it 
was  adopted  by  a  referendum  vote.  Some  years  later 
the  paragraph  dealing  with  the  senate  and  the  presidency 
was  stricken  from  the  declaration  by  a  primary  vote.  In 
its  stead  the  election  of  senators  by  popular  vote  was 
proposed. 

At  the  convention  held  at  Indianapolis  in  1 880,  Dr. 
H.  M.  Starkloff  of  St.  Louis,  the  first  speaker  of  the 
executive  committee,  made  the  following  remarks  in  his 
opening  address: 

"We  have  gained  that  personal  liberty  the  German 
Turners  once  dreamed  of;  we  have  done  our  duty  in  that 
direction.  That  part  of  our  program  is  fulfilled,  and  it 
remains  for  us  to  find  a  new  field  for  our  energies.  How 
would  it  be  if  we  would  work  with  all  our  might  to  intro- 
duce physical  training  into  the  public  schools  of  this 
country?  We  could  not  conceive  a  more  beautiful  gift 
than  this  to  bestow  upon  the  American  people.  It  seems 
to  me  that  this  should  be  a  worthy  enterprise,  for  whoso- 
ever has  conquered  the  youth  has  gained  the  future." 

In  1 88 1  a  select  group  of  German- American  Turners 
from  Milwaukee,  under  the  leadership  of  George  Brosius, 
at  that  time  the  director  of  The  Normal  School  of  the 


(50) 


North  Jlmerican  Gymnastic  Union 


Tumerbund,  crossed  the  Atlantic  as  the  first  team  to  attend 
and  compete  in  a  gymnastic  festival  in  Germany.  The  fes- 
tival was  held  in  Frankfort  on  the  Main,  and,  upon  their 
return  to  this  country,  the  American  Turners  brought 
back  with  them  the  2nd,  3d,  5th,  6tlv  13th  and  21st 
competitive  prizes. 

As  the  years  passed  by  the  Turners  devoted  their  en- 
ergies less  to  the  political  and  more  to  the  educational 
side  of  their  program.  The  history  of  the  Tumerbund 
now  consists  chiefly  of  an  account  of  the  various  gym- 
nastic festivals  and  conventions  which,  though  eminently 
successful,  are  of  particular  interest  only  to  those  who 
are  intimately  identified  with  the  organization. 

The  national  festivals,  which  in  former  years  had  been 
held  annually,  grew  too  expensive  as  the  membership  of 
the  gymnastic  union  increased.  The  financial  risk  as- 
sumed by  the  society,  under  whose  auspices  the  festival 
was  held,  became  too  large.  For  that  reason,  since 
1885,  these  gymnastic  festivals  have  been  held  only  once 
every  four  years.  Up  to  that  time  the  societies  had  been 
represented  by  the  picked  men  of  their  organization  and 
the  total  number  of  active  competitors  at  such  festivals 
ranged  from  200  to  300  men.  However,  when  competi- 
tive gymnastics  between  the  societies  were  introduced  the 
total  number  of  active  Turners  who  competed  ran  into 
thousands.  At  the  national  Turnfest  in  Cincinnati  (1889) 
1,1  79  Turners  competed;  in  Milwaukee  (1893)  3,380;  in 
St.  Louis  (1897)  2,600;  in  Philadelphia  (1900)  at  the 
golden  jubilee  of  the  Tumerbund  1,650;  in  Indianapolis 
(1905)  1,400,  and  in  Cincinnati  (1910)  1,800.  At  St. 
Louis,  in  1897,  school  children  were  invited  for  the  first 
time  to  participate  in  a  Turnfest.     Since  then  mass  drills 


(51  ) 


Jl    Brief   History    of  the 


by  the  children  have  always  been  an  interesting  feature 
of  the  festivals.  The  next  national  festival  will  be  held 
at  Denver,  Colorado,  in  1913. 

In  the  year  1 904  the  Turnerbund  was  represented  by 
a  class  of  eight  men  under  the  leadership  of  Henry  Suder, 
director  of  physical  training  in  the  Chicago  public  schools, 
at  the  Turnfest  in  Nuremberg,  Germany.  They  proved 
to  be  no  mean  rivals  of  their  German  brethren  in 
the  art  of  physicial  training.  The  next  year  at  Indi- 
anapolis, for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the 
gymnastic  union,  a  class  of  German  Turners,  under 
the  leadership  of  Professor  F.  Kessler,  of  Stuttgart, 
attended  a  Turnfest  in  this  country.  The  gymnastic  union 
of  Germany  comprises  a  total  membership  of  750,000 
men,  from  which  number  the  best  nine  Turners  were 
selected  to  represent  their  organization  on  American  soil. 
It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  these  Turners  took 
home  with  them  the  highest  competitive  prizes  that  were 
awarded  at  the  festival.  The  rare  skill  and  the  finish  of 
all  their  apparatus  work  and  their  versatility  in  the  vari- 
ous gymnastic  exercises  amazed  the  spectators  and 
caused  general  comment.  Mr.  Charles  W.  Fairbanks,  then 
Vice-President  of  United  States,  witnessed  the  gymnastic 
exercises  of  the  German  Turners  and  bade  them,  in  the 
name  of  the  nation,  a  hearty  welcome  to  this  country. 
After  a  brief  visit  to  the  larger  cities  of  the  middle  West 
the  German  Turners  returned  to  Europe,  highly  elated 
at  the  friendly  reception  that  had  been  accorded  them. 

In  1 908  the  Turnerbund  arranged  an  excursion  to  the 
German  gymnastic  festival  in  Frankfort  on  the  Main. 
Under  the  leadership  of  George  Brosius,  the  oldest  and 
most  deserving  teacher  in  the  Bund,  a  class  of  ninety 


(52) 


North  American  Gymnastic  Union 


American  Turners  was  accorded  great  applause  for  a 
meritorious  exhibition  of  dumb-bell  exercises.  The  Amer- 
ican Turners  also  gave  an  exhibition  of  base-ball,  and  our 
national  game  aroused  unwonted  interest  among  the  Ger- 
man spectators.  From  500  to  600  members  of  the  North 
American  Gymnastic  Union  marched  in  the  festival  par- 
ade and  were  applauded  by  the  enthusiastic  citizens  of 
Frankfort  and  their  guests,  who  showered  the  American 
visitors  with  flowers  and  wreaths. 

From  the  very  beginning  the  societies  of  the  North 
American  Gymnastic  Union  have  endeavored  to  extend 
the  practice  of  physical  training  to  all  without  discrimin- 
ation as  to  age  or  sex.  The  boy,  the  youth,  the  man,  the 
girl,  the  woman,  even  the  father  and  mother,  are  not 
merely  tolerated,  but  are  urged  to  participate  in  the 
gymnastic  work  of  the  society.  In  consequence,  the  in- 
fluence of  the  gymnastic  union  has  increased  steadily 
from  year  to  year.  According  to  the  statistics,  compiled 
January  1  st,  1911,  the  North  American  Gymnastic  Union 
is  composed  of  24  districts  with  232  societies  and  a  mem- 
bership of  38,75  1. 

The  enrollment  in  the  various  gymnasium  classes  is 
as  follows: 

5298  Seniors 
3645  Juniors 
2225  Business  Men 
4800  Women 
10,755  Boys 
7665  Girls 

The  fencing  sections  enroll  326,  singing  sections 
2061,  dramatic  sections  546,  and  women's  sections  61  55. 

Some  of  the  gymnastic  societies  also  maintain  elemen- 
tary schools,  freehand  and  mechanical  drawing  schools. 


(53) 


I 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 


schools  for  the  study  of  German,  and  girls'  industrial 
schools. 

The  headquarters  of  the  Turnerbundyfere  removed  from 
St.  Louis  to  Indianapolis  in  1 898  and  the  executive  com- 
mittee has  been  located  in  that  city  since  that  time. 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  NORTH  AMERI- 
CAN TURNERBUND  ON  GYMNASTICS 
IN  THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

Dr.  Edward  Mussey  Hartwell,  in  his  admirable  report 
to  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education,  1897- 
98,  in  the  chapter  on  Physical  Education,  speaking  of 
gymnastics  in  the  city  schools  in  the  United  States  says: 
"Neither  the  colleges  nor  the  athletic  organizations  of  the 
country  have  earned  the  right  to  speak  with  authority  on 
the  question  of  what  constitutes  a  well-ordered  and  prac- 
ticable system  of  physical  training  for  elementary  and 
secondary  schools.  Therefore,  the  more  or  less  success- 
ful introduction  of  school  gymnastics,  since  1 884,  by  the 
cities  of  Chicago,  Kansas  City,  Cleveland,  Denver,  Indian- 
apolis, St.  Louis,  Milwaukee,  Cincinnati,  St.  Paul,  San 
Francisco,  and  Boston,  through  the  action  of  their  res- 
pective school  boards,  has  been  chiefly  due  to  the  zeal 
and  insistence  of  the  advocates  of  the  German  and  Swed- 
ish systems  of  gymnastics,  who  were  prepared  to  speak 
with  knowledge  and  to  act  with  intelligence.  In  every 
city  named  above,  excepting  Boston,  German  free  and 
light  gymnastics  have  been  adopted,  and  the  directors  of 
physical   education  are  graduates  of  the  Seminary   or 


(54) 


North  American  Gymnastic  Union 


Normal  School  of  the  North  American  Tumerbund.  In 
Boston,  Worcester,  Cambridge,  and  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  other  cities  in  Massachusetts  and  New  England, 
Swedish  gymnastics  have  been  introduced  more  or  less 
completely  into  the  public  schools.  Mixed  systems  of  an 
eclectic  character  are  in  vogue  in  the  schools  of  Brook- 
lyn, Washington,  New  York,  and  Providence.  The  pro- 
motion of  gymnastic  teaching  in  the  public  schools  has 
ever  been  one  of  the  cherished  aims  of  the  Tumerbund. " 

While  the  Turner  societies  were  primarily  organized 
for  physical  and  mental  education  of  adults,  the  main- 
tenance of  schools  of  gymnastics  for  boys  and  girls  was 
made  obligatory  for  all  societies  of  the  Bund,  until  such 
time  when  the  public  schools  should  give  adequate  phys- 
ical training  to  their  pupils.  Whenever,  therefore,  a  fav- 
orable opportunity  presented  itself,  boards  of  education 
were  petitioned  to  introduce  gymnastics.  The  Turner 
societies  were  always  ready  to  co-operate  with  school 
boards,  and  in  many  cities  the  teachers  and  leaders  of 
these  societies  taught  gratuitously  (often  for  years)  in 
order  to  let  results  convince  skeptical  school  boards  of 
the  value  of  school  gymnastics. 

Although  introduced  into  the  school  systems  of  some 
of  the  cities  of  the  middle  western  states  in  the  sixties 
and  seventies  (in  Cincinnati  as  early  as  1 860)  gymnastics 
never  became  an  integral  part  of  the  school  work  for  any 
great  length  of  time.  In  fact,  Dr.  Hartwell  states  in  his 
report  "that  even  now  (1898)  no  important  city  or  town 
of  the  United  States  has  succeeded  in  maintaining  for  fif- 
teen successive  years  a  genuine  and  adequate  system  of 
school  gymnastics." 


(55) 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 


It  is,  therefore,  with  some  measure  of  pride,  that  we 
are  able  to  report  that  practically  all  the  cities  Dr.  Hart- 
well  refers  to  are  at  present,  thirteen  years  later,  not  only 
successfully  conducting  free  exercises  in  their  schools, 
but  have  adopted  the  policy  of  installing  in  all  school 
buildings  gymnasiums,  or  playrooms,  and  of  equipping 
the  schoolyards  as  open-air  gymnasiums  or  playgrounds. 

The  successful  introduction  of  physical  training  into 
the  public  schools  naturally  had  its  influence  upon  pri- 
vate and  parochial  schools,  and  even  upon  some  colleges 
and  universities  with  the  result  that  these  also  made 
gymnastics  part  of  their  regular  work. 

But  there  is  another  part  of  physical  education  which 
owes  much  of  its  success  to  the  early  efforts  of  the  Turners. 
We  refer  to  the  play  movement.  Play  ever  was  an  inte- 
gral part  of  Turnen,  of  gymnastics.  Guts  Muths',  as  well 
as  Jahn's  gymnastics,  were  conducted  in  the  open.  The 
activities  upon  these  grounds  were  mainly  games  and 
what  is  now  grouped  under  the  name  of  track  and  field 
work.  Exercises  upon  apparatus  were  added  later,  as 
being  essential  for  winter  and  for  indoor  work.  As  early 
as  the  late  sixties  boys  and  girls  in  Cincinnati  enjoyed 
the  giant  stride  and  swings  in  the  large  playground  or 
garden,  as  it  was  then  called,  back  of  the  old  Turner 
Hall,  and  did  stunts  upon  the  horizontal  bars,  jumped 
and  vaulted  into  jumping  pits  filled  with  tan-bark,  threw 
the  javelin  and  played  ball.  And,  as  in  Cincinnati,  so  it 
was  in  other  cities.  It  was,  therefore,  perfectly  natural 
when  the  modern  playground  movement  swept  over 
Europe  and  over  the  United  States  that  the  Turnerbund 
was  again  to  be  found  in  the  foreground  as  one  of  its 
most  ardent  and  intelligent  advocates,  and  that  the  Bund's 


(56) 


North  Jimerican  Gymnastic  Union 


teachers  and  leaders  were  again  willing  to  co-operate  in 
organizing  and  supervising  playgrounds. 

A  recent  questionaire  sent  to  cities  where  there  are 
Turner  societies  shows  that  gymnastics  were  introduced 
into  the  schools  of  fifty-two  cities  either  by  the  direct 
efforts  of  the  Turner  societies  of  these  cities  or  through 
the  efforts  of  the  district  organizations.  These  cities  in 
the  year  1910  had  a  population  of  16,083,400,  and  a 
school  population  of  2,085,763.*  The  physical  training 
work  in  these  cities  is  supervised  by  352  teachers. 

The  time  devoted  daily  to  gymnastics  averages  fifteen 
minutes  in  primary  and  grammar  grades,  and  two  week- 
ly periods  of  forty-five  minutes  each  in  the  high  schools. 
While  the  work  is  obligatory  for  practically  all  elemen- 
tary grades,  only  about  one  third  of  the  cities  have  gym- 
nastics obligatory  for  all  four  high  school  years;  two  years 
seem  to  be  the  rule. 

The  questionaire  showed  that  recent  years  have 
brought  about  several  marked  developments  in  the  phy- 
sical training  work  of  the  public  schools.  The  first  is  the 
installation  of  gymnasiums  in  the  buildings  devoted  to 
elementary  education  (the  high  schools  in  most  cities 
have  long  since  had  gymnasiums).  Forty-one  cities  re- 
port that  they  are  beginning  to  equip  their  schools  with 
gymnasiums;  the  total  number  of  gymnasiums  is  323. 
Chicago  reports  that  it  has  70  gymnasiums  in  its 
schools,  while  St.  Louis  reports  37  and  Cincinnati  28. 
Quite  a  number  state  that  all  new  buildings  are  being 
equipped  with  gymnasiums  or  playrooms. 

The  second  development  is  the  building  of  shower 
baths  and  even   of  swimming  pools  in  the   elementary 

*  These  figures,  as  well  as  all  others,  apply  only  to  cities  in  which  it  was  reason- 
ably certain  that  gymnastics  were  introduced  through  the  efforts  of  the   Turnrrbund. 


(57) 


Ji    Brief   History    of   the 


schools.  The  third  is  the  equipping  of  playrooms  for 
indoor  play.  The  greatest  forward  step,  however,  is  the 
recognition  that  the  yard  of  every  school  is  the  natural 
playground  for  most  of  the  children  attending  the  school. 
This  brought  with  it  the  enlargement  of  school  yards  and 
the  equipment  of  the  same  with  gymnastic  and  play  ap- 
paratus. Thirty-three  cities  report  that  their  school 
grounds  are  being  equipped.  The  total  number  of 
equipped  schoolyards  is  537.  Indianapolis  reports  that 
all  of  her  61  schools  have  equipped  yards.  Philadel- 
phia reports  58  and  Kansas  City  40;  and  quite  a  num- 
ber of  smaller  cities  report  that  practically  all  of  their 
schoolyards  (numbering  from  10  to  25)  are  equipped. 
It  is  interesting  and  encouraging  to  note  that  although 
this  wider  use  of  the  schoolyards  is  of  more  recent  origin, 
and  has  been  introduced  in  fewer  cities  as  yet,  the  num- 
ber of  equipped  school  yards  or  playgrounds  is  already 
greater  than  the  number  of  equipped  gymnasiums  and 
playrooms,  i.  e.  41  cities  with  323  gymnasiums  as  against 
33  cities  with  537  playgrounds. 

Summarizing,  the  results  of  this  investigation  show 
that  the  Tumerbund  has  been  and  still  is  an  active  and 
efficient  agent  promoting  rational  physical  training  in  the 
schools  of  the  United  States. 


(58) 


North  Jlmerican  Gymnastic  Union 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NORMAL  COLLEGE  OF 
THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  GYM- 
NASTIC UNION 

The  Normal  College  of  the  North  American  Gym- 
nastic Union  is  the  oldest  American  institution  for  the 
education  of  teachers  of  physical  training. 

The  Normal  School  of  the  North  American  Gymnas- 
tic Union  was  reorganized  in  1866.  Prior  to  1875,  the 
school  was  a  traveling  institute  of  gymnastics,  whose 
earliest  courses  were  completed  in  the  city  of  New  York. 
The  institute  was  then  transfered  to  Chicago.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1871,  the  great  fire  in  Chicago  ended  the  existence 
of  the  institute  in  that  city,  and  in  1872  the  school  was 
reopened  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

From  1875  to  1888,  Milwaukee  was  the  seat  of  the 
Normal  School.  From  1889  to  1891,  the  school  tem- 
porarily made  its  home  in  the  city  of  Indianapolis.  At 
the  end  of  this  transitional  period,  the  North  American 
Gymnastic  Union  had  completed  a  gymnasium  building 
adjoining  the  new  home  of  the  National  German-Amer- 
ican Teachers'  Seminary  and  the  German  and  English 
Academy  at  Milwaukee.  The  three  schools  were  united 
in  a  way  that  enabled  each  to  preserve  its  individuality, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  utilize  the  teaching  facilities  of 
the  other  two  schools. 

In  1 902,  the  scope  of  the  work  of  the  Normal  School 
was  materially  extended.  From  1902  to  1907,  the  fol- 
lowing courses  were  given:  Course  A.  A  special  course 
for  the  students  of  the  National  German- American  Teach- 
ers' Seminary. — Course  B.  A  one-year  course  for  male 
students  of  the  Normal  School   who   had  attained   the 


(59) 


Jl    Brief   History    of   the 


knowledge  of  German  required  for  admission  to  the  first- 
year  class  of  the  Teachers'  Seminary,  but  did  not  meet  the 
entrance  requirements  for  course  C. — Course  C.  1902- 
1904:  A  one  year  course  for  students  of  the  Normal 
School  who  had  attained  the  knowledge  of  English  re- 
quired for  admission  to  the  second-year  class  of  the 
Teachers' Seminary.  1904-1907:  A  one-year  course  for 
students  of  the  Normal  School  who  held  an  American 
high  school  diploma  or  had  passed  equivalent  entrance 
examinations. — Course  D.  A  one-year  course  for  students 
of  the  Normal  School  who,  in  addition  to  the  qualifica- 
tions prescribed  for  course  C,  had  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  German  language. 

At  a  joint  meeting  of  the  governing  boards  of  the 
three  schools,  held  September  29,  1906,  it  was  agreed 
that  after  August  31,  1907,  the  National  German- Ameri- 
can Teachers'  Seminary  and  the  Normal  School  of  Gym- 
nastics should  be  conducted  as  separate  and  independ- 
ent institutions.  At  the  same  meeting,  the  gymnasium 
building  was  sold  to  the  German  and  English  Academy. 

In  January,  1907,  the  National  Executive  Committee 
of  the  North  American  Gymnastic  Union  adopted  resolu- 
tions to  the  effect  that  after  August  31,  1907,  the  Normal 
School  of  Gymnastics  be  conducted  in  the  city  of  Indian- 
apolis under  the  name  of  "The  Normal  College  of  the 
North  American  Gymnastic  Union";  that  one-year,  two- 
year,  and  four-year  college  courses  be  offered  prospec- 
tive teachers  of  physical  training  who,  prior  to  matricula- 
tion, completed  the  four-year  course  of  an  approved 
American  high  school,  or  who  pass  equivalent  entrance 
examinations  in  high  school  subjects,  including  at  least 
three  years  of  high  school  English;  and  that  in  addition 


(60) 


North  yJmerican  Gymnastic  Union 


to  physical  training  and  practice  in  teaching,  the  work 
of  each  college  year  includes  courses  in  letters  and  science 
equivalent  to  one  year's  work  as  counted  by  universities 
toward  the  baccalaureate  degree. 

In  March,  1907,  the  Normal  College  was  incorporated 
under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Indiana  as  an  institution 
of  learning  empowered  to  confer  academic  titles  and  de- 
grees. In  June,  1910,  the  College  was  accredited  in  Class 
A  by  the  Indiana  State  Board  of  Education,  which  ex- 
empts applicants  for  positions  in  the  Public  and  High 
Schools  of  Indiana  from  examination. 

The  Normal  College  was  opened  in  the  German 
House  at  Indianapolis  on  September  23,  1907. 


CONCLUSION 


It  is  not  presumptuous  to  remark  that  in  the  sixty-one 
years  of  its  existence  the  Turnerbund  has  been  an  impor- 
tant factor  in  the  cultural  development  of  this  republic. 
From  the  very  inception  of  their  organization,  in  what- 
ever principles  they  have  advocated,  it  has  always  been 
the  serious  aim  of  the  Turners  to  contribute  their 
share  toward  the  fruitful  development  of  the  country.  To 
be  sure,  these  men  may  not  always  have  been  on  the  right 
track.  In  their  eager  desire  for  reform  they  may  have 
overshot  the  mark  at  times,  but  every  unprejudiced  his- 
torian will  agree  that  as  citizens  of  this  country  they  have 
been  honest  and  unselfish  in  their  activities.  They  were 
never  diverted  from  their  goal  by  harsh  criticism  or  by 


(61) 


u 


Ji    Brief   History 


the  superior  smiles  of  those  who  claimed  to  know  better, 
for  they  have  kept  in  mind  the  spirit  of  Goethe's  words: 

"Wer  fertig  ist,  dem  tat  nichts  recht  zu  machen; 
Ein  IVerdender  wird  immer  dankhar  seinl" 

"A  mind,  once  formed,  is  never  suited  after. 
One,  yet  in  growth,  will  ever  grateful  be." 


SOUTHERN   BRANCH 


UN! 


s.NIA 


LOS   ANGELES,  CALIF, 


The  Cheltenham-Aetna  Press 
Indianapolis 


(62) 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


Form  L9-32W-8. 


'30[\*B8ds£)<J 


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